Australia revert to using the Kookaburra balls but only in domestic cricket

SYDNEY: Australia on Thursday announced plans to ditch the English Dukes ball in domestic cricket and revert to using only the traditional Kookaburra for the next Sheffield Shield season. Cricket Australia introduced the Dukes ball in 2016 and they were used in the second half of each Shield season to try to accustom players to conditions in England, where Australian batsmen had often struggled. Dukes balls tend to have a more pronounced seam, enabling them swing further and for longer when new than the Australian-made Kookaburras. Cricket Australia’s head of operations Peter Roach said reverting to the Kookaburra was the right move at this time.