Ben Stokes and Rishabh Pant have again highlighted the speed with which this season’s Dukes Test ball loses shape, saying the frequent requests for replacements are unsettling both bowlers and batters.
Speaking on the eve of the third Test at Lord’s, the England captain admitted the issue has become a running theme whenever overseas teams visit. “Whenever we have touring teams visiting, there is an issue with the balls going soft and completely out of shape,” Stokes said. “I don’t even think the rings that we use are Dukes rings. It isn’t ideal. But you have to deal with it.”
Umpires use a two-ring gauge: the ball must pass through one ring and not the other to be judged in shape. If it fails either test, the fielding side can receive a replacement. Bowlers, however, feel the process is far stricter than practical experience suggests. In Leeds and Birmingham, both sides were repeatedly turned down after asking for fresh balls, even when the seam had flattened and swing disappeared inside 25 overs.
India’s vice-captain suffered the most public frustration. On day two at Headingley, Pant bounced the ball into the turf when his appeal for a change was refused, earning an ICC reprimand and a demerit point. Reflecting now, he tried to soften the mood while stressing the underlying problem. When told of Stokes’ comments, Pant smiled: “I would stick to the same ball gauge, but the rings could be ‘smaller’.” He then added: “I feel it is a big problem because the ball is getting out of shape. In this series, the ball is getting de-shaped too much. That is something I’ve never seen. It is definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays differently. When it becomes softer, sometimes it doesn’t do too much, but as soon as you change the ball it starts to do something. As a batsman, you keep on adjusting to that, but at the same time, it is not good for cricket overall.”
Stokes echoed that view, accepting the current regulations yet suggesting a review is overdue. “If you feel the ball has gone out of shape, then you check it with the umpire. If it goes through the rings, it goes through the rings, and you crack on. Hopefully, eventually it goes that badly out of shape that you are able to change it. Every bowling team seems to struggle with it, and it seemed a big issue last week at Edgbaston. If it fits through we keep going, if it doesn’t we get a new one.”
Neither captain called for an immediate manufacture change, but both implied dialogue with suppliers and match officials would help. Coaches inside both camps have privately noted that a softer seam not only limits swing but also makes reverse-swing almost impossible on abrasive surfaces, nudging tactics towards run containment rather than wicket taking.
For now, players are left hoping the Lord’s batch behaves better than those at Leeds and Birmingham. If not, expect more slow walks towards the umpire, another rummage in the box of replacement balls, and renewed debates over a piece of leather that ought to last 80 overs but too often wilts long before.
