BCCI testing Dukes, Kookaburras to replace SG cricket balls in domestic & international matches

There have been several complaints in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, with the balls either losing shape or having split seams very early.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started testing the hand-stitched Dukes cricket ball as well as the Kookaburras, after a sudden hike in complains against the SG ball, made by the Sanspareils Greenlands Pvt Ltd. There have been many complaints in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season against the SG, with the balls losing either their shape or the seams splitting early on. There were complains against the SG even during the Test series between India and South Africa, with the Indian bowlers being critical towards the ball.

There have been several complaints in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, with the balls either losing shape or having split seams very early. In fact, during the India-South Africa Test series too, Indian bowlers were critical about the quality of SG balls.

According to the Hindustan Times, the BCCI general manager of cricket operations, MV Sridhar said, “We have tested Dukes balls at the NCA [National Cricket Academy] and Mumbai. The ball is good. But these are just preliminary tests and we have to test them in the longest format too.”

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was not happy with the SG ball in particular, he had said, “There are definitely a lot of balls that are going out of shape. The arm ball… especially for a spinner, when you’re trying to bowl an arm ball, the seam is not sitting high at all. So at this point of time, I seem to be enjoying the Kookaburra a lot more.”

The BCCI had even returned hundreds of SG balls to its manufacturer, who supplies around 600 boxes of 12 balls each to the Indian cricket board for its domestic and international matches. The BCCI is now contemplating using the British Dukes and the Australian Kookaburras for use.

While the Dukes are available to the BCCI for Rs 4,200 per piece compared to Rs 1,100 per piece of SG, the Kookaburras are expensive. The machine-made Kookaburras cost more than Rs 8,000 per piece, which according to Sridhar, is not an issue.

Sridhar said, “It’s not about SG or Kookaburra or their price, what we are looking for is durability. We will test it in some local tournaments. Only then can we take a decision on Dukes.”

The director of Sanspareils Greenlands, Paras Anand said, “There have been issues that have come to our notice. We are working on it. There are some new processes we are experimenting. The results have been very positive. Soon, we will share it with the BCCI and top-ranking bowlers. Once we get the clearance from them, we will implement it.”

About the Author