WTC: Dukes to launch probe over Ashes ball change controversy

Australia's Usman Khawaja is hit on the back of the helmet by a delivery by England's Mark Wood

IMAGE: Australia's Usman Khawaja is hit on the back of the helmet by a delivery by England's Mark Wood. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images via Reuters

Since Usman Khawaja's critical comments over the ball replacement on Day 5 of the 5th Ashes Test, former Australia cricketers Ricky Ponting and Glen McGrath were also left fuming.

The change of ball -- on Day 5 of the 5th Test -- after just 37 overs, England complained to the umpires that the ball was out of shape and once the umpires replaced the ball with a shinier Dukes ball, England's fortunes changed thereafter.

Australia, who were at one time 0/135 and on track to chase down 384 for an Ashes victory at The Oval, crumbled to a 49-run loss with England drawing the series 2-2.

Khawaja criticised the process by which the umpires selected the replacement ball.

“I walked straight up to Kumar (umpire Kumar Dharmasena) and said straight away, ‘that ball looks nothing like the one we were playing with. I can see writing on it’,” he recalled.

“It felt harder than any ball I’ve faced in this Ashes series – and I’ve opened the batting against the new ball every single time.”

Ponting called for an investigation into the ball change and now the owner of Dukes’ ball is set to launch an internal probe into the row.

According to News Corp, there are rumours that the shiny ball in question played very similarly to balls from the 2018-19 batch of Dukes balls that proved a nightmare for batters.

Dukes’ owner Dilip Jajodia told News Corp: “Every ball we produce for the specific season has got a date stamp on it. It would have 2023 marked on it.

“We supply balls to the ground. These balls are not controlled by the ECB or the ICC, it’s controlled by the ground authority. So on this particular occasion (at The Oval) the balls would be done by Surrey.

“Surrey get the supply of balls from us before the season starts and then they start knocking them in, getting them into wear and tear if you like and in my view, they’re probably not doing it that accurately.”

Ponting was scathing in commentary on Sky Sports seeing the contrast between the two balls.

“There’s no way in the world you can even look at those two balls there and say in any way they are comparable,” the former Australian captain said.

“I cannot fathom how two international umpires that have done this so many times before, have got this so wrong … I think (it) has to be investigated.”