Controversial County Kookaburra Ball Trial Scrapped

The research of utilizing Kookaburra cricket balls successful immoderate rounds of nan County Championship has been scrapped.

Kookaburras person been utilized successful immoderate rounds for each of nan past 3 seasons, but nan move was mostly unpopular owed to nan inclination of bat dominating ball.

Directors of cricket from nan 18 first-class counties expressed their desire to extremity nan research successful October.

And nan determination was confirmed by a gathering of nan England and Wales Cricket Board's master crippled committee (PGC) earlier this week.

It intends each 14 rounds of nan 2026 County Championship play will beryllium played pinch balls manufactured by Dukes.

Dukes are nan accepted supplier of cricket balls for first-class cricket played successful England. Dukes balls are hand-stitched and, successful general, connection much assistance to bowlers.

Kookaburra balls are instrumentality made and are chiefly utilized successful countries for illustration Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The Kookaburra shot was introduced into nan County Championship pinch nan thought of preparing English players for overseas conditions. The mentation was that it would promote bowlers of higher gait and lead to rotation having an enhanced role.

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

Though immoderate of nan intends of nan research were fulfilled - peculiarly nan greater number of overs bowled by spinners - it led to immoderate dull cricket.

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.

The move to return to nan Dukes for nan full Championship play comes aft counties rejected proposals to restructure nan competition.

A caller set-up of 12 teams successful nan apical formation and six successful nan bottommost tier, pinch each broadside playing 13 matches, was turned down successful favour of nan existent system.

The Championship will stay pinch 10 teams successful Division One, 8 successful Division Two, each playing 14 matches.