Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade has questioned Cricket Australia’s plan to introduce Dukes balls into the second half of next summer’s Sheffield Shield season.
Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Wednesday that English-made darker-red balls will be used in all Shield matches between rounds six and 10, as well as the final next year.
The decision has been made in light of Australia’s recent struggles on the past four away Ashes tours, including in 2015 where they were bowled out for just 60 from 111 balls in the first innings of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.
However Wade said that given the balls will be made for Australian conditions, it will do little to help prepare first class batsmen.
“I’ve played with the hard-wicket ones in the West Indies and they don’t do anything close to what the ones in the UK do, because they are obviously made to take a little bit more abrasiveness off the wicket,” he said.
“So it’ll be interesting to see how it goes but I don’t think it will make a huge difference going to a Duke.”
Traditional Australian Kookaburra balls will still be used for the first half of the season, and while neither Wade or South Australian coach Jamie Siddons see any issue in changing balls mid-season, neither felt it would help Australia’s batsman ahead of the 2019 Ashes tour.
“For me it doesn’t relate to what will happen in England as it is different conditions,” Siddons said.
“At least the bowlers will get a good look at the Dukes ball which is a positive.”
However CA’s general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, believed the move was a necessary one.
“Some people might think changing a brand of cricket ball is a minor consideration,” he said.
“But as we have seen from past Ashes campaigns in England, it can be a significant factor.”
CA has been trialling Dukes balls in the Futures League and in the under-19 and under-17 championships since 2012. The English maker has been progressively modifying the ball for Australian conditions.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Or more like in June or July. During the last Ashes I noticed Joe Root in the stands wearing a beanie and decided to Google the current weather there. It was midday in the middle of Summer in Birmingham and it was 3 degrees cooler than it was at the same time in Sydney, which was 9pm in the middle of winter. So rather than play earlier in Spring, even playing in mid-winter you can be struggling to replicate English conditions unless you go to Hobart. As far as training for England, they'd be better off trying to prepare some practice pitches to as close to English conditions as possible, and practicing on them with the same Duke ball used in England, rather than using a the sort of Duke ball required to handle Australian conditions, which as pointed out by Matt Wade is a completely different ball than the one used in England anyway.
Craig Swanson
Guest
This may be a little left field. To better replicate English playing conditions why not start the S Shield in the cooler, damper months..say September. It would mean playing part of the shield concurrently with the Matador Cup. Has been done before. No reason why it could not be done again. This would also allow the Shield to run thru without the annoying 6 week break for BBL so it would be done and dusted by Christmas.It may also mean...God forbid that our test players would be on deck for their states. Giving them a good preparation for the upcoming test season. It is not rocket science CA.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Agreed. I mean come on, if the ball is the major reason, then how did all these Australian teams of the past manage to do so well... Now if you want to talk about a combination of the ball, conditions, lack of match practice in those conditions, and then their stroke selection/style, now we're getting somewhere...
davros
Guest
ive said this before ...but i think we should use kookaburras in england and dukes in oz ...for ashes series ...just to even things up !
Marshall
Guest
The 60 run effort in question had very little to do with the ball, and a lot to do with some very poor stroke play and batsmen temprement.