India vs England: Dukes offers to investigate manufacturing process amid controversy over ball quality

The Dukes ball has been in the limelight more than some of the players themselves in the ongoing Test series between India and England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Both teams have been complaining about the ball losing shape earlier than expected and demands for it to be changed have been fairly frequent. Rishabh Pant had even been reprimanded by the ICC earlier in the series for angrily reacting to his demand for a ball-change not being carried out.

Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Limited that manufactures the Dukes balls, had earlier responded to criticism from players by blaming changing nature of pitches in England as well as T20-style batting for the balls getting softer earlier than expected. Jajodia added that if the Dukes balls were to be harder than they are currently, they would end up causing damage to bats.

Dukes manufacturer to investigate ball quality after initially deflecting blame

Jajodia, however, has since offered to investigate the manufacturing process, including the raw materials used for the ball, and has assured of changes being made if faults were found at their end.

“We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials - everything. Everything we do will be reviewed, and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will,” Jajodia told BBC Sport.

The manufacturing process at Dukes remains a traditional one, where the balls are produced from cork and are wound in string, cased in leather which is held together by a hand-stitched seam.

“One is the raw materials which are natural and then has to be moulded and put together by a human being.

“Obviously the major aspect of a cricket ball is the leather that holds the whole thing together, and if the fibres that form the animal skin has got some sort of weakness or inherent problem that’s something we can only find if it fails by further inspection and investigation,” Jajodia added.

The ball controversy had come to a boil during the third Test at Lord’s, in which it was changed five times during England’s first innings.

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which decides the brand of cricket balls that will be used for Test cricket as well as in the County Championship and lower levels, will collect as many match balls from the ongoing series as possible and return them to Dukes by the weekend.

The fourth Test between India and England gets underway on Wednesday at Manchester’s Old Trafford with England currently leading the series 2-1.