The Dukes ball has become a major issue in the current Test series between India and England, with players from both sides saying the ball softens too quickly. A controversy occurred on Day 3 of the Lord’s Test when the ball was changed twice in the first session.
According to The Indian Express, the Indian team is unhappy with the ball-change rules and has brought the issue to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The report claims the second replacement ball, which became misshapen after only 10 overs, was actually 30-35 overs old. The rule says the new ball should be about the same age as the old one, but the umpires told the team they didn’t have any balls that were 10 overs old, the report said. The Indian team thinks that using an older replacement for a harder ball put them at a disadvantage, leading to their 22-run loss.
At Lord’s, the Dukes ball lost its shape after about 10 overs, which has happened a lot in this series. The ball couldn’t pass the umpires’ sphericality test. Since they didn’t have a 10-over-old ball, the Indian team received a 30-35-over-old ball at a critical moment, a BCCI official told the newspaper.
ESPNcricinfo recently shared data comparing the average swing of the second new ball and the replacement. The second new ball swung 1.869 degrees and seamed 0.579 degrees on average. The replacement ball swung 0.855 degrees and seamed 0.594 degrees, the report stated.