By Richard Gibson For The Mail On Sunday
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County cricket will introduce the Kookaburra ball for two full rounds of Championship action this summer.
Directors of cricket at the 18 First-class counties were informed by the ECB on Friday that they will trial the Australian-made balls following a recommendation by the high-performance review, which is chaired by former England captain Andrew Strauss.
The chosen period between June 25 and July 13 coincides with the Ashes.
County cricket will trial the use of an Australian-made Kookaburra ball for two rounds in the summer
The decision comes following a recommendation from the high-performance review, chaired by Andrew Strauss
At present, the Championship uniformly uses the made in England Dukes ball, which is considered to swing and seam a lot more than its Australian rival.
Strauss’s review group believe a ball that is easier to bat against because of a lack of lateral movement will encourage the selection of fast and spin bowlers.
England’s Test struggles overseas in recent years have been put down in part to the lack of development of these types of bowlers.
The decision to pilot the Kookaburra ball comes a year after the Dukes version was criticised by players for going soft early, leading to some unusually high scoring.
Review group claimed England’s Test struggles overseas could be related to thier unfamiliarity with similar balls
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