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The Ashes: Australia switch to Dukes ball to help win in England

Last updated on .From the section Cricketcomments62

England v Australia - The Ashes
Australia's 3-2 defeat in England last year was their fourth successive away Ashes defeat

Australian cricketers will use a different ball in domestic first-class competition next year in a bid to help them win the Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years.

Cricket Australia wants to give players experience with the Dukes-made ball.

The England and Wales Cricket Board uses the Dukes ball in international matches, but Australia use Kookaburra.

"Changing the ball can be a significant factor," said Pat Howard, Cricket Australia's general manager.

The Dukes ball will be used in the second part of the Sheffield Shield - Australia's premier first-class competition - from next year, while the Kookaburra ball will continue to be used in the first part of the season.

The Aussies have not won an Ashes series in England since 2001, with their difficulties against the seaming and swinging ball, and their own bowlers' inability to produce as much movement as England's attack, often cited as reasons.

Australia will host the next Ashes series in 2017-18 before the sides return to England in 2019.

Howard insists switching between the brands, which behave differently through the air and off the pitch, is not a "minor consideration".

"In recent times Australian teams travelling to England haven't adjusted well to local conditions and the swinging Dukes ball," he added.

"We have been on record saying that we will look at ways to address this deficiency and believe giving players greater experience with the Dukes ball is one way of doing just that."

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62 comments

  • Comment posted by tonep, at 11:27 30 Mar 2016

    Not a bad idea, but if you have hard dry wickets and clear blue sky it aint gonna swing much no matter what you do. A better option would be to get more of the Ashes squad to play county cricket, its no surprise that Rodgers adapted the best of the lot.

  • Comment posted by U14237999, at 12:31 30 Mar 2016

    Good idea and hopefully the start of the Duke being the norm for Test Cricket. Even if conditions are perfect for batting in Aus, at least the Duke won't go soft and out of shape every 20 overs. The ICC can keep the Kookabura for One Dayers if they want the video game cricket they've got at the moment. But Tests need a balance, and the Duke is one way to make that happen.

  • Comment posted by charlieboy, at 12:07 30 Mar 2016

    You know a team is in trouble and grasping at straws when they complain about the type of ball. I don't remember them doing it when they ruled the roost. Top class players can play under any conditions.

  • Comment posted by gw lewis, at 11:39 30 Mar 2016

    In the good old days before players chased the $$$ around the world in the various PLs, players would come over to the UK, play cricket in UK conditions and get used to batting n bowling in a chilly Chelmsford. Same for our players, who in the winter would follow the sun to play in Oz or SA

  • Comment posted by spanners, at 12:54 30 Mar 2016

    Perhaps if the touring Aussie team arrive earlier than a couple of weeks before the first test then they would acclimatize and get used to bowling the duke's ball?

  • Comment posted by Phil the Pill, at 12:23 30 Mar 2016

    That heap of c**p beginning with K is not a cricket ball it's a bar of soap. the Duke should be the international standard.

  • Comment posted by ebirder123, at 11:26 30 Mar 2016

    Unless they are going to import the damp from Old Trafford, the crowd from Trent Bridge and clone Roooooot, then it won't make any difference.

  • Comment posted by U16242173, at 11:23 30 Mar 2016

    Don't think it will have a huge significance as you need the conditions which you rarely get in OZ. good thinking though, and shows their intent, England take note.

  • Comment posted by U3246151, at 07:54 31 Mar 2016

    The Kookaburra ball, especially its "white" version is deskilling the game. The contest between bat and ball has been skewed in favour of the batsman who can loft straight sixes at will (something that was once a rare treat) in the knowledge that the ball will fly straight at him.

    Cricket should be a multi faceted game involving the player and whole playing environment. Not a slog fest!

  • Comment posted by Pete, at 20:18 30 Mar 2016

    Might as well play with a tennis ball as a ball that won't swing. Time they ditched the Kookaburra all together. Cricket should be about skill like swing bowling not just speed and power.

  • Comment posted by harry, at 11:22 30 Mar 2016

    Isn't it about time the Duke ball becomes universally used. It's a better ball in wny conditions IMO.

  • Comment posted by Old Father Thames, at 11:13 30 Mar 2016

    Typical Aussies, not having the balls to swing.

  • Comment posted by U13716022, at 12:48 30 Mar 2016

    It's the line and length required on English pitches that Aussie bowlers over the last 20 years can't understand. Go and see Terry Alderman. Bowl full a straight on Australian roads and you get creamed. The Dukes will not change this.

  • Comment posted by U16496276, at 11:37 30 Mar 2016

    It appears that the BBC are only allowing comments on sports articles now, not serious news items

  • Comment posted by tonep, at 21:17 30 Mar 2016

    Seeing as there is more chance of an extinction level asteroid impact than a blog opening up on the T20, I'd like to say well done England. Top performance, great death bowling and Jason Roy what a guy. Given what they choose to ignore, to open up a blog on what ball Australia will be using running up to the next Ashes is utterly bizarre. The 6N had a new blog every bleeding day.

  • Comment posted by tonep, at 13:28 30 Mar 2016

    Change the ball, produce flat hard brown wickets and only play when (if) the sun is forecast to shine all day. Oh and only use Aussie umpires. And dont allow England to field any swing or seam bowlers. That should help the poor dears.

  • Comment posted by John Petrie, at 13:05 30 Mar 2016

    Sounds a bit desperate. I assume they are going to import the same weather conditions; atmosphere, cloud and moisture?

  • Comment posted by U16080241, at 17:37 30 Mar 2016

    It may help a little but conditions are likely to dictate how much the ball will swing more than the ball used. Mind you, the likes of Lillee, Massie, Alderman, Mc Grath and others didn't have a problem in making it move in the air.
    I would love to see Afghanistan given the credit they deserve for their performances - perhaps an article by the BBC lauding their remarkable achievements.

  • Comment posted by Perton66, at 13:27 30 Mar 2016

    Credit to Oz for exploring all avenues in an effort to boost the chances of its test side being successful. The ECB has never been so innovative and is instead concentrating its efforts on boosting revenues from the domestic 20 over competition to the detriment of the first class game. I expect England to be hammered down under and edged out at home. The ECB need to keep their eye on the ball.

  • Comment posted by professorfart, at 13:51 30 Mar 2016

    Will it help? Only if the ball starts to regularly seam and swing, and their batsman stop playing T20 shots at the moving ball in the longer form of the game.

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