Both India and England have consistently voiced concerns regarding the ball’s performance during their Test series.
Following complaints about its performance during the first three Test matches, the manufacturer will examine the balls used in the series between England and India.
The Dukes balls have frequently been replaced due to losing their shape, leading to frustrating interruptions in play.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) plans to collect as many used balls as possible and return them to Dukes by the end of the week for assessment.
Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, the manufacturer of Dukes balls, told BBC Sport, “We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials – everything.”
“Everything we do will be reviewed and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will.”
What to do about Test cricket’s slow play problem?
The host board determines the ball used for Test matches. While England utilizes the Dukes ball, Tests in India feature the SG ball, and Australia employs the Kookaburra.
The Dukes ball, in production since 1760, has traditionally been regarded as a high-quality product, though issues have surfaced in Test and county cricket in recent years.
Specifically, the ball has been softening prematurely – well before the 80 overs of an innings have been completed. When a ball softens, it becomes more difficult to take wickets, with bowlers reporting a decrease in zip off the pitch and fewer edges carrying to fielders.
The ECB’s Professional Game Committee and Cricket Advisory Group analyze data related to ball performance throughout the season, including the number of balls changed, and reports from umpires and captains.
Conversations surrounding the quality of balls have been ongoing in recent years, with increasing instances of balls softening more quickly. The issue came to a head during the third Test between England and India at Lord’s.
There were five ball changes during England’s first innings, with one ball being replaced after just 10.2 overs on the second morning.
“The cricket ball should be like a fine wicketkeeper – barely noticed,” former England bowler Stuart Broad commented.
“We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue and is being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable.
“It has been like this for five years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it.”
The manufacturing process for the Dukes ball remains a traditional one.
They are still produced using a core of cork, wound with string, cased in leather, and held together by a hand-stitched seam. Variations can also arise from the dyeing process applied to the cow hides that provide the leather.
Jajodia suggests several factors could be contributing to the problem.
“One is the raw materials which are natural and then has to be moulded and put together by a human being,” he stated.
“Obviously the major aspect of a cricket ball is the leather that holds the whole thing together, and if the fibres that form the animal skin has got some sort of weakness or inherent problem that’s something we can only find if it fails by further inspection and investigation.”
He added: “Covid did have a very serious effect on all sorts of businesses.
“In the whole process of tanning leather I would expect changes in personnel, whether either they passed away or decided that it was all too difficult.
“Also it may be some of the chemicals are not available any more because companies are going out of business. It could be the cattle themselves or it could be the processes.
“There is literally almost one tanner left that does cricket ball leather so there’s not a choice. You have to work with the tannery to make sure that they produce what you want and by and large they do.”
Jajodia also believes that the modern game, characterized by bigger bats, more sixes, and harder playing surfaces, may contribute.
“The unique nature of cricket is that you can’t test that ball before it goes into play so therefore, if it fails, it fails in use and at the very highest level it’s in the glare of publicity,” he said.
“All we can do to check everything as thoroughly as we can during the whole process of making the ball.”
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Finn and Cook on issues with balls and other BBC Sport readers’ cricket questions
Jajodia has been quoted as suggesting that a new ball should be given to the bowling sides after 65 overs rather than 80 as a possible solution, though he acknowledges this may not be universally welcomed.
“At the end of the day, we’ve had three Test matches, they’ve all been good games,” he said. “They’ve been interesting games.
“We should be very cautious and not be looking for drastic and dramatic changes.
“This is a product that’s been going since 1760. There is no snap answer, all you can do is to go through the routine of everything that you do and try and identify.”
The ECB does have alternatives available. They do not have a fixed contract with Dukes; their agreement is renewed annually.
A hand-stitched ball made by Gunn & Moore is used in county 2nd XI cricket, partly to provide an alternative to Dukes if required.
The Kookaburra has been controversially trialled in the County Championship since 2023 and is being used for four rounds of matches this season. This innovation, driven by the England team, aims to prepare bowlers for overseas conditions.
In the two rounds of Championship cricket already played using the Kookaburra this season, an average of 1,194.66 runs were scored per match – a significant increase.
One theory suggests that the Kookaburra’s ineffectiveness in the UK stems from its unsuitability for the softer pitches found there, as opposed to the harder surfaces of the southern hemisphere.
“I can assure you we are on the case all of the time,” Jajodia affirmed.
“I spend my life almost producing these balls and I personally pick the balls for each game and when you look at them and they are new they look like works of art, they really are. They’re wonderful.
“But what you don’t know is what it’s going to do when it’s actually taking hammer and that’s the problem with the product.”
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