Ricky Ponting demands official investigation into Ashes ‘conspiracy’

A fuming Ricky Ponting has demanded cricket officials investigate a “disgraceful” move by the umpires that rocked the Fifth Test.

When you have English commentators laughing in the box, you know it’s an absolute joke.

A ball change “conspiracy” rocked the final day of the Ashes and left Ricky Ponting calling for an official investigation as England secured a thrilling win.

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The furore started when images were shown of England being handed a shiny new cherry late on day four, when they’d been using one that looked quite worn.

There were only 11 balls bowled with it before rain stopped play, but it’s match and series-defining impact was on full show on the morning of day five as the likes of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood enjoyed all sorts of movement through the air and off the pitch.

Openers Usman Khawaja (72) and David Warner (60) both fell quickly to Woakes, who according to CricViz delivered the “most threatening” spell by any bowler in the entire series.

After Wood claimed Marnus Labuschagne for 13, Australia was in big trouble at 3/175 at drinks.

And everyone was talking about the ball. “It certainly looks a lot newer than the one they changed from,” Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting remarked.

Gold stamp still visible but 40 overs old they reckon 🤥🤪

— Ben Cameron (@BenCameron23) July 31, 2023

🙃 #Ashespic.twitter.com/KiU0TRSsHk

— Trent Copeland (@copes9) July 31, 2023

Old Ball vs Replacement Ball...

Seems legit 👍#ENGvsAUS#TheAshes2023#ashespic.twitter.com/JopxS5LMBu

— Alex Black (@VirtualAlexB) July 31, 2023

“Look at how much writing is on the side of that ball … that is a huge contrast to the conditions to the two Dukes balls.”

Former Test opener Mark Taylor continued: “It really pinged off the bat. It even sounds harder.”

“The ball did nothing yesterday,” former England spinner Phil Tufnell said on BBC Test Match Special. It was gun barrel straight.”

“This is a complete contrast to what we saw bowling conditions-wise yesterday,” Ponting said on Sky Sports.

“It has got to be this change of ball. There was absolutely nothing happening. Australia dominated. Totally different this morning, that’s for sure.”

Former Test captain Nasser Hussain called it “very odd”, declaring the ball change was “madness”.

“This ball change has made an enormous difference,” former England batter Mark Butcher laughed.

“The (new ball) looked brand-spanking new. The conspiracy theorists will be out.”

“I’ll be honest with you, if the boot was on the other foot we might be (complaining too),” Butcher said. “They have a point.”

Umpires deliberate over the balls during the Fifth Ashes Test.

Ponting called for an official investigation during the lunch break on Sky Sports.

“We actually spoke about it last night,” he said.

“The biggest concern I have is the big discrepancy in the condition of the ball that was chosen (as a replacement).

“There’s no way in the world you can even look at those two balls there and say in any way they are comparable.

“At the end of the day, if you are going to change the ball, you want to make sure you get it right, so it’s as close as you possibly can to the one that you’re changing it from.

“There weren’t too many older condition balls in there - there were some older ones that were picked up, they threw them back.

“I cannot fathom how two international umpires that have done this so many times before, have got this so wrong.

“That is a huge moment in this game, potentially a huge moment in the Test match, and something I think has to be investigated.

“Whether there were the right condition balls in the box, or whether the umpires have gone and blase, picked one out of there.

“It was a perfect storm, conditions were perfect for bowling this morning but that ball there, that’s on the left of screen, I’ve got no doubt at all, that ball would not have done anywhere near as much as that ball this morning.

“Double the amount of movement from this morning, seam movement and swing, I think it’s a huge blunder that as I said, needs to be investigated.”