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This week’s round of County Championship Division One and Two fixtures in England will again see the red Kookaburra ball in action, and likely, conversations.
The Kookaburra ball has again replaced the traditional Dukes ball in competition this week, with the ECB rolling out these changes as part of a long-term plan to improve the quality of cricket in England.
But throughout the 2025 season and beyond, the Kookaburra has drawn criticism for completely favouring the batters, leading to high-scoring games, all too frequent draws and taking away from the fair battle between bat and ball.
We take a look at the differences between the two red balls used in the County Championship and the effect they have had on results…
Kookaburra vs Dukes
Kookaburra ball:
- Machine stitched, meaning more consistency in each ball being the same as the next.
- A shallower, pronounced seam offers the bowlers less movement off the surface.
- The ball will swing early in the match but quickly lose its shape and hardness.
- After the first 20-30 overs, the ball will offer very little movement or variation to the bowler.
- Designed for hard, dry and abrasive cricket pitches.
- Typically used in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, etc, due to suiting their cricket pitches.
Dukes ball:
- Hand-stitched individually with exactly six rows of thread
- The pronounced seam is bigger and offers consistent swing and seam movement
- Maintains its shape and stays harder for longer, making it effective deeper into innings
- Built for green English pitches
- Typically used in England, Ireland and the West Indies
Why are Kookaburra balls in use?
The idea to use Kookaburra cricket balls in selected rounds of both divisions of the County Championship was introduced following an ECB High Performance Review in 2022, led by former England opening batter, Sir Andrew Strauss.
There were a series of aims from the initiative, with the main ambition being to better prepare English players for overseas Test conditions where they have struggled in the past.
Playing multi-day domestic red-ball cricket with a ball used in overseas conditions has been seen as a clear avenue to improve English talent rising to the senior ranks.
Strauss also stated in his review that the initiative would encourage the development of genuine pace and high-quality spin, with the players expected to adapt.
However, many bowlers have struggled to adapt to operating with a different ball on flat wickets and consequently, batters have been cashing in on easier opportunities to score.
What are the flaws of the initiative?
One hot topic debate over the continued use of the Kookaburra ball is that the intention is to improve England Test players through exposure to the ball.
However, several fixtures where the Kookaburra ball has been in use have coincided with England Test matches, meaning none of the senior squad have gained from the initiative.
In order for the spinners to be able to utilise the change of ball, they need the bowling conditions to work with.
The Kookaburra wall works best on hard, abrasive pitches, and not enough pitches have been prepared in a manner where spinners are in the game late in the match.
Are Dukes having problems too?
While the Kookaburra has undoubtedly allowed batters to dominate the County Championship in recent months and facilitated a record number of draws, Dukes balls have also been criticised of late.
The traditional Dukes ball that is being used in the England Test series against India has been going out of shape far too easily, with the ball being changed often and therefore, slowing down the game.
The fact that Dukes build their balls by hand allows them slight room for ‘human error’.
However, the criticism that both brands of ball have been receiving and the negative effect on cricket suggest something needs to change, and quickly.
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The post Why is the Kookaburra ball causing draws and run-fests? appeared first on Cricket365.
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