Reacting to Root’s statement, former opener recalls impact of ball alteration in 1970s
KARACHI:
Former Pakistan Test opener Sadiq Mohammad believes the debate over the modern Duke cricket balls has echoes of an episode from English cricket more than five decades ago, when a seemingly small alteration to the ball had a major impact on run-scoring and the length of matches.
Sadiq told The Express Tribune that during the period from around 1972 to 1978, county and Test cricket in England was producing plenty of runs, with overseas players and England’s Test cricketers regularly posting big scores.
“The authorities then subsequently altered the construction of the cricket ball, raising the seam by around an eighth of an inch,” he said.
The change, Sadiq said, dramatically altered the balance between bat and ball.
“Scoring became increasingly difficult, matches began finishing well before their allotted time and some county and Test games were completed in only two or two-and-a-half days,” he recalled. “The shorter matches also had financial consequences for counties and the authorities, as fewer days of cricket meant reduced revenue.”
The authorities eventually reverted to a ball with the original seam, Sadiq recalls, and the effect was immediate. “Runs began flowing again, batsmen found it easier to occupy the crease and matches once again regularly went deep into the scheduled three days of county cricket and five days of Test cricket,” he said.
More than 50 years later, England captain Joe Root has raised a strikingly similar issue regarding the Duke ball being used in England this summer.
Root said after England’s victory over Pakistan at Lord’s that the balls appeared different from previous seasons, particularly in their lacquer and firmness. He suggested that the seam was helping the ball retain its shape and allowing it to move more sharply off the pitch.
“I think the balls have been very different this year,” Root said, adding that they appeared to have a different lacquer on the seam. He also felt that the harder ball could be creating more pronounced marks on the pitch, giving bowlers additional assistance as the match progressed.
The results have been noticeable. England and Pakistan struggled to produce individual centuries in the first two Tests, while Pakistan failed to reach 200 in any of their four innings. Bowlers, rather than batsmen, dominated the series.
