Use Dukes ball in Australia Tests: Cowan

SYDNEY: Ed Cowan, the former Australia Test batsman, has declared the new Dukes ball being trialled in the Sheffield Shield this season should be seriously considered for use as the Test match ball of choice down under.

Having smashed it for an innings of 212 for New South Wales against Victoria at the MCG over the past two days, Cowan paradoxically praised the Dukes — a version of which has been specially devised for use in Australian conditions — for offering more help to the bowlers.

That much was seen later on day three of the match when Trent Copeland and Sean Abbott swung it prodigiously to help the Blues put the Bushrangers under immense pressure with one day of the match remaining. Cowan told ESPNcricinfo the balls had stood up on a pair of diverse pitches at the MCG and also last week in a second XI match he played at Geelong.

“I think the Dukes is a far superior cricket ball to the Kookaburra in terms of the quality of contest between bat and ball,” he said. “They certainly stay in shape, they’re harder for longer, they consistently swing, there’s a little bit there for the bowlers all day if you’re good enough to bowl well, but you can get some runs if you’re disciplined with the bat.

“From Australian cricket’s point of view I’d love Cricket Australia to look really hard at using Dukes balls in Test cricket in Australia because I think the quality of the ball is superior. I’ve been lucky enough to play a bit of cricket in England and use the Dukes a bit. I’ve always found you just have to be really disciplined on the front foot, particularly day one or two of a four-day fixture, you can’t bully the ball off the front foot through the off side.”