Last Updated on 4 weeks ago by Charbel Coorey
The war in the Middle East is impacting English cricket, with a shortage of Dukes balls as a result of high transport costs and a backlog of freight.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, English counties will begin the 2026 County Championship season with half the number of balls required for the summer.
This is further complicated by the fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board have scrapped the use of the Kookaburra ball throughout the season after mammoth totals in 2025.
“We’ve got plenty of stuff in the factories in the subcontinent ready to go, but the airlines are not taking the freight, because there’s a logjam,” said Dukes owner Dilip Jajodia to the Daily Mail.
“The rates have gone up too. A box of 120 cricket balls would be charged normally by airlines at about $5 a kilo. The last quote I got was $15 a kilo. Most of the stuff goes through the Middle East, but if you’ve suddenly got rockets flying around, you’ve got a major problem.”
Reactions to Dukes balls shortage: Shubman Gill, everywhere
According to reports, Dukes are exploring alternative routes from the subcontinent to avoid the logjam of flight traffic in the Middle East.
Fans on social media were all over it, with Shubman Gill a common sight on timelines as he told England to “grow some” during last year’s closely-fought Test series.
Here are some of the reactions.
The 2026 County Championship season kicks off on Friday April 3. Nottinghamshire won the 2025 Division One title, while Leicestershire sealed the Division Two title.
