Dukes proprietor pledges to analyze controversial ball change throughout Oval Test
The proprietor of Dukes has pledged to analyze the controversial ball change in Australia’s second innings throughout their 49-run defeat within the fifth men’s Ashes Test at The Oval, whereas casting doubt on a idea {that a} five-year-old alternative ball might need been used.
The ball was modified within the thirty seventh over of Australia’s chase, after Usman Khawaja was hit on the helmet by a Mark Wood bouncer. Khawaja stated after Australia’s defeat that he had immediately queried the selection of alternative ball – which appeared visibly newer than the earlier one – with umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
Ricky Ponting, the previous Australia captain, labelled the selection of alternative ball “a huge blunder that needs to be investigated” whereas Zak Crawley, the England opener, described it as “a good break for us [which] probably made the difference”.
Dilip Jajodia, the proprietor of British Cricket Limited, the corporate which manufactures the Dukes ball, informed Code Sports: “I’m going to investigate myself, because it affects me … my name is at stake so it’s important they don’t misallege something wrong with the ball.”
Code Sports reported that “whispers have emanated out of the English camp” for the reason that conclusion of the Test suggesting that the ball might need been a part of the 2018 or 2019 batches of Dukes, which supplied extra for seam bowlers, although Jajodia prompt that was unlikely.
“I can’t imagine they would risk putting a ball in there with a different date on it,” Jajodia stated. “Frankly the match referee should be on top of it. We do bang that number in quite hard, so even if the gold comes off, the ball is imprinted. It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of it. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s not likely.”
Ponting was amongst those that questioned whether or not a sufficiently broad vary of balls had been introduced to the umpires to decide on a alternative ball. But Jajodia defined that his firm provides balls on to venues somewhat than to the ECB or the ICC.
“On this particular occasion, the balls would be done by Surrey,” he stated. “Surrey get the supply of balls from us before the season starts and then they start knocking them in, getting them into wear and tear… in my view, they’re probably not doing it that accurately.”