Dukes suspect ball from 2018-19 batch to have been in use as replacement ball in 5th Ashes Test; set to launch internal investigation 

English ball manufacturing firm Dukes will reportedly look into the ball change debacle that changed the course of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. Australia were cruising at one stage during the fourth innings run chase, but things fell apart with the 'replacement' ball in the last hour of the fourth day.

The Men in Yellow collapsed in a heap on the final day as England bowlers got the new ball to move heavily, considerably more than the ball they were using for the first 37 overs of the innings. Australia collapsed from 264/3 to 334 all out in the space of just 21 overs.

Duke suspects that one of the balls from the infamous 2018-19 batch that troubled the batters, might have been in use as the replacement ball. There is a highly unlikely possibility of such an instance occurring due to the involvement of the county, match referee as well as on-field umpires. Moreover, the date of manufacturing is stamped on the ball as well, making it distinguishable from the rest.

Dukes' owner Dilip Jajodia explained the entire process that goes in selecting the ball and offered his thoughts on the decision to launch an internal investigation. He 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."

“I can’t imagine they would risk putting a ball in there with a different date on it,” he added. "Frankly the match referee should be on top of it. We do bang that number in quite hard, so even if the gold comes off the ball is imprinted. It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of it."

"I’m not saying it’s impossible (it was a 2018 or 2019 ball), but it’s not likely. I’m going to investigate myself, because it affects me … my name is at stake so it’s important they don’t misallege something wrong with the ball," Jojodia further stated.

Prior to the Ashes series, Dukes promised more lively balls after the bowlers complained of lack of movement with a particular batch after the lockdown restrictions were lifted.

While there was no excess movement on offer during the Ashes, the pitches, the quality of the teams and the high-stakes atmosphere brought in a balance between bat and ball, resulting in one of the most memorable series in recent times.

---

Usman Khawaja and Ricky Ponting voiced their displeasure over the Dukes ball change during fifth Test

Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja confronted both on-field umpires on separate occasions regarding the Dukes ball change. He was told that there were no other alternatives in the box.

Khawaja said following the end of the series:

“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.”

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting called for an investigation into the matter during commentary. He called the move a 'blunder' and wanted the incident to be thorougly looked at.

The ICC issued a brief statement after the end of the series, which mentioned that they will not be making any comments regarding the decisions made by the on-field officials.

Was the change in Dukes ball fair towards the Australians? Let us know what you think.