Kookaburra ball: Cricket Australia (CA) has decided not to use Duke Ball in the first class cricket tournament Sheffield Shield. Instead, in this season 2020-21, all tournaments will be played only with native Kookaburra ball. Duke Ball is made in England, while Kookaburra is made in Australia.

Australia had been using Duke Ball in domestic cricket since 2016 to prepare to play in England’s condition. CA’s Head of Cricket Operations Peter Roach said that the decision to leave Duke has been taken at the right time.

Roach said, “It was better to practice at Duke initially. It has been beneficial for us to train with this ball especially for the Ashes series to be hosted by England. We have been playing with this ball in Australia for 4 years. “

He said that cricket is being played in most countries around the world with the Kookaburra ball. In such a situation, we feel that it will be a challenge for our bowlers to use this country ball again. But, the benefit will also be more.

“It has been seen recently that spin bowlers have not proved more effective than Duke Ball in domestic cricket,” Roach said. We need spinners in the first class, so that batsmen facing spin bowling can be ready. We need batsmen who can stand up to the spinners. “

The SG ball is made by hand and is more suited to spinners. It takes a natural swing from the first 10 to 20 overs. The glow of the ball also goes away soon. However, it is better in terms of seam. Remains strong for 80-90 overs.

Duke Ball is also made by hand like SG. Its natural swing lasts from 50 to 60 overs. The seam is straight, making it suitable for fast bowlers. Reverse swing starts in this ball only after 20 to 30 overs. It is darker in color than SG and Kookaburra.

Kookaburra balls made in Australia are made by machine instead of hand. It is a natural swing from 20 to 25 overs only. After this, the batsmen are most fit. Spinners are less helpful than other balls.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has no specific guidelines regarding the use of the ball. All countries use the ball for their condition. SG in India, Duke in England and West Indies, while Kookaburra ball is used in other countries.