No more duke: Sheffield Shield 2020-21 will be played with Kookaburra ball

By
Sarthak Karkhanis
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Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

Cricket Australia has decided to play with the Kookaburra ball in the upcoming season of the Sheffield Shield after the experiment of the Dukes ball in the last four seasons.

The aim of the introduction of Dukes ball in Australian domestic cricket was to enhance the performance of the Australian cricket team in England, as the national team failed to win the Ashes in England since 2001. But, one can say that the experiment paid off, as the Aussies retained the Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years after they drew the series 2-2.

“The introduction of the Dukes ball has been a worthwhile exercise, particularly in the lead up to overseas Ashes series where the Dukes is used so well by our English opponents. We have been happy with how the ball has performed when used in Australian conditions over the past four seasons.” believes Peter Crouch, the head of operations at Cricket Australia.

“We do, however, feel that reverting to one ball for 2020-21 will provide the consistent examination of our players over a full season that CA and the States are presently seeking. The Kookaburra is the ball used for international cricket in Australia and many parts of the world and we see benefits this season of maximising our use of it.” he added.

No more duke: Sheffield Shield 2020-21 will be played with Kookaburra ball
Kookaburra ball to return to Sheffield Shield in 2020/21

Roach talked about the decrease in significance of the spinners in the Australia domestic circuit. He indirectly spoke about the need to produce Test-quality spinners and batsmen who play spin well. Also, he didn’t rule out the Duke ball making a return in the future.

“We have noted that spin bowlers in the Marsh Sheffield Shield have been playing less of a role in recent seasons; most notably in games when the Dukes ball is in use. We need spinners bowling in first-class cricket and we need our batters facing spin. We hope that the change to one ball will have a positive benefit here. We see a definite opportunity to reintroduce the Dukes ball at some stage in the future,” Roach concluded.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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