Australia’s dismal record against the Dukes cricket ball will be put to the Test against South Africa in June
Australia’s preferred Kookaburra ball has been shunned in favour of the Dukes for June’s World Test Championship final and CricViz statistics show that is bad news for Aussie batters.
Australia will be dragged back to the “Dukes of Hazzard” Ashes heist of 2023, with England’s notorious cricket ball locked in for the World Test Championship final.
Despite the fact both Australia and South Africa use the Kookaburra ball in their home conditions, the English Dukes ball has been chosen by the ICC for the anticipated decider to be played at the home of cricket Lord’s from June 11.
Australia is still haunted by memories of the last Ashes tour when a historic victory on English soil was on the tips of their fingers before a controversial ball change completely altered the course of the match with the top order ripped apart by a rogue Dukes ball.
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Statistics from CricViz show the averages of Australia’s batsmen have dipped over the past 10 years against the Dukes ball, as opposed to the more familiar Kookaburra.
The notable exceptions are Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh who have actually improved their averages in matches contending with the more prolonged swing of the Dukes ball.
Former Test captain Ricky Ponting led the cries of outrage at the time, calling on the choice of replacement ball – which appeared much newer than the ball in use – to be investigated.
Australia will be hoping improvements are made to the range of balls available so history doesn’t repeat, but it is not unexpected that they would be facing the Dukes again on English pitches and they can take confidence from having drawn the past two Ashes tours and winning the last WTC final.
Josh Hazlewood has stormed into favouritism to reclaim his place in the first-choice Test attack over Scott Boland on the back of his brilliant performances in the Indian Premier League where he is topping the wicket-taking charts.
Boland only has a small sample size of three Tests in England, and although he starred in Australia’s last Test Championship final triumph over India at The Oval, he struggled in his two subsequent Ashes Tests.
South Africa wouldn’t necessarily be coming at Boland with the same Baz Ball strategy as England, but Hazlewood’s reliable English record where he has taken 52 English wickets at an average of one for every 26 runs he’s conceded is hard to overlook.
Hazlewood’s obstacle has been his body and given he has been vulnerable to breaking down in the first Test of series over recent years, this remains a concern and Australia will need to give the 34-year-old a solid training lead-in to the WTC final in the UK to be confident he is in the right condition.
Australia’s batting in England has been patchy over the course of their 24-year drought without an Ashes series win, but there are individuals like Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Travis Head who have managed moments of brilliance against the treacherous Dukes ball.
Marnus Labuschagne, with a century and five 50s from his 10 Tests in England at an average of 39 also cannot be sneezed at as selectors prepare to make a big call over his future.
Although Labuschagne is under pressure following an underwhelming couple of years, his solid record in England at No. 3 should work to his advantage.
Cameron Green is back in contention and is a threat to Labuschagne’s place in the top order, but from his four Tests in England, Green averages 19 and is yet to post a 50.
Although Green stormed to an impressive century in his county debut last month, it would still be a massive call to usurp Labuschagne for what is Test cricket’s grand final, when he has been a staple of Australia’s top order all the way through that period.
Australia will gather in the UK for an extended camp following the completion of the IPL as they prepare to defend their WTC crown against the dangerous South Africa.
The Proteas might look thin in the batting department compared to Australia, but South Africa’s pace attack led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen pose a genuine threat with the swinging Dukes ball, and have cut England to ribbons previously on UK soil.
Australia will opt not to have any practice matches as has been the trend in recent years, with teams preparing to tailor their own preparations.
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