Chronicling the differences between SG and Kookaburra Test balls

A few years ago the Board of Cricket for Control in India decided to introduce Kookaburra balls in the domestic set-up in order to bridge the gap between domestic and foreign tours. This was aimed at giving the players more time to use the ball, as the bowlers have faced a lot of difficulties when visiting countries like Australia.

The layman might argue that when the size, shape, colour, weight and different other features of balls is same, irrespective of their manufacturing companies, why there is so much fuss around cricketing balls. But then, cricket cannot be understood easily by everyone, and while everything looks rather bland at the surface the technicalities differ, so much so that these insipid red round objects have plenty of differences. There is a marked distinction in the way these balls behave, both in the air and then respond differently after pitching.

There is a reason why cricketing boards all over use specific balls for their surfaces, and if these surfaces are given proper scrutiny, we could end up with answers and the reasons behind different balls for different countries.

We take into consideration the forthcoming New Zealand vs India series. The Kiwis use Kookaburra back home, but will have to adjust their game according to the SG balls which is used in India. What then is the difference?

We start by analysing the seam, which more or less dictates the entire behaviour of the ball. The SG Test ball, for instance, has a pronounced seam which remains intact for a longer duration of time, sometimes right through the 80 overs, after which new ball can be taken. Bowlers generally prefer a pronounced seam, as it helps the fast bowlers to hit the pitch with an upright seam and get lateral movement. It becomes even more critical for the spinners, who can the get the ball to drift and dip if the seam is robust coming down. Also, if the ball lands perfectly on the seam, it is more likely to change directions.

Now, if we observe the Indian pitches which are generally dusty, slow and sluggish the importance of a pronounced seam becomes paramount, as it allows the bowlers to exploit any help which is present on the surfaces. The next factor which should be taken into consideration is the shine on the ball. The lacquer present on SG balls holds on for a longer time. While this does not allow the ball to swing initially, but slowly as the coating wears off, the ball starts to move significantly. This is beneficial to both the fast bowlers, who can bend their backs to extract swing and seam off the surface. The spinners, on the other hand, can get the drift in the air, as shine on the ball is a crucial factor to achieve drift.

Many spinners believe that even if there is no assistance on the surfaces with regards to spin if they manage to get drift they can still pose a lot of problems for the batsmen.

Now we take a look at the Kookaburra balls. The seam is not as pronounced as the SG balls and this then fades away rather quickly. While initially, the ball wobbles a lot, but this movement is thrown out of context pretty rapidly as the seam sits on the surface and is enshrined into the ball. This meek seam makes it very difficult for both the seam and spin bowlers who start bowling cross-seam quickly.

For the spinners this is doom, for it prevents them from getting any assistance from the pitch, as the soft seam makes the ball skid on more to the bat which makes life a lot easier for the batsmen. This is a reason why touring spinners, more so the finger spinners have found it so difficult to achieve success in countries like Australia.

These are the basic intricate differences, and then the question which arises is how do the bowlers adapt. Well, the successful bowlers know how to manage themselves not only according to the conditions but also according to the ball in their hand. Sub-continent bowlers, more so in India are generally swing bowlers who release the ball and allow the pronounced seam to take over. This allows the ball to move around in the air and also they manage to extract whatever help is present on the surface, as the ball will generally land on the seam.

The bowlers who run in with the Kookaburra ball have a two-dimensional approach. Initially, they look for swing by pitching the ball up, but as the seam fades away pretty rapidly, they start to put in more effort and start bowling more into the pitch to extract some assistance from the surface.

And thus, we can safely say that the fast bowlers will prefer Kookaburra which swings remarkably initially, and the spinners will always vouch for SG balls, mainly because of the shine and the seam.

Cricket is played according to the conditions, and so much technical details go into the game. And the teams and players which are successful are the ones who make the transition much more smoothly than the others.

People might also argue that the ICC needs to make the balls a uniform tool across all formats and conditions, as this will test the players more. But then, if flexibility is taken away from the game, the inherent charm of the game is lost.

Let this debate rage on!