Jofra Archer doesn't ‘seam’ too impressed with Kookaburra ball

England pacer Jofra Archer is finding it quite a challenge to adjust to the Kookaburra ball ahead of the team’s first Test against New Zealand starting at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Thursday. Archer’s major concern is the seam, which is not very pronounced in comparison to the Dukes ball used in England.

Writing a column in Daily Mail, Archer stated, “I’d never bowled with the red Kookaburra before, but I knew it was going to be tough and so it proved.”

“People say it has a smaller seam than the Dukes ball we use in England but I’m not sure it has a seam at all. It isn’t pronounced on any part of the ball. It doesn’t hold its shine either and gets very old, very fast,” he further wrote in the column.

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The fast bowler hopes that the pace in the pitch at Bay Oval would provide some aid to the fast bowlers. “We’ve heard conditions at Mount Maunganui might be more helpful and there could be a bit more pace, so that may be something to work with. When there’s nothing on offer from the conditions, you have to try whatever you can. You have to be inventive over here, which is one of the things we’ve spoken about as a group,” Archer added.

The pacer made an impressive debut against Australia in the Ashes, where he finished with 22 scalps. He made news due to an alleged rift with captain Joe Root and also his duel with Steve Smith, whom he hit on the neck at Lord’s which resulted in the batsman suffering from a concussion.

Steve Smith

“I didn’t want to be bowling to Steve Smith again any time soon after what happened last summer,” the Barbadian-born fast bowler admitted.

Archer also conceded in his column that New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will pose a major challenge for the visitors’ bowling.

Kane Williamson

“We’re probably going to have to try a bit of everything against him, although he plays the short ball pretty well,” wrote Archer on the much anticipated deal.