Kookaburra ball experiment in County Championship could be scrapped

The arguable research of utilizing nan Kookaburra shot successful nan County Championship could beryllium scrapped adjacent month.

As reported by nan Telegraph, region board of cricket person indicated their desire to extremity usage of nan shot successful immoderate rounds of matches.

The rumor will now beryllium discussed by nan England and Wales Cricket Board's master crippled committee (PGC), which adjacent meets connected 5 November. The PGC has nan authority to region nan Kookaburra from nan Championship.

First-class cricket successful England and Wales is usually played pinch Dukes balls, which are individually stitched by hand. In general, nan Dukes offers much assistance to gait bowlers.

The Kookaburra, a machine-stitched ball, is utilized overseas, including successful Australia. It usually offers little encouragement to nan seamers.

In nan aftermath of England's past Ashes circuit of Australia, erstwhile they were hammered 4-0, a high-performance reappraisal led by erstwhile skipper Andrew Strauss recommended nan Kookaburra beryllium utilized successful nan Championship to thief hole players for conditions down under.

It was utilized for 2 rounds of matches successful nan 2023 season, pinch nan research expanded to 4 rounds successful 2024 and 2025.

Though 1 purpose of nan research - to bring much spinners successful to nan crippled - was mostly fulfilled, it produced immoderate dull cricket, pinch bat dominating ball.

In 2 rounds of Kookaburra matches earlier this summer, played successful June, nan mean first-innings full crossed nan Championship was 430. There were 59 individual scores of 100 aliases much and Surrey racked up 820-9 declared against Durham astatine The Oval.

If nan PGC does extremity nan Kookaburra experiment, it would apt mean each 14 rounds of Championship matches adjacent play are played pinch nan Dukes.