Australia coach questions Dukes pink ball after low-scoring Kingston Test
What's the story
Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has raised concerns over the performance of the pink Dukes ball in Test matches. The criticism comes after Australia defeated hosts West Indies in the low-scoring Day-Night Test at Sabina Park, Kingston. The 3rd Test and final Test of the Frank Worrell Trophy ended within three days. Australia won by a massive 176 runs after bowling out West Indies for just 27, the second-lowest total in Test history.
Surface concerns
It didn't even look like cricket: McDonald
After the match, McDonald expressed his concerns about the pink Dukes ball, saying it made it hard to judge both batting units accurately. He said, "You take that into the third Test, which is a pink ball, Dukes, on that surface and that game just moved way too fast and at times didn't even look like cricket."
Pitch surprises
We expected slightly flatter surfaces: McDonald
McDonald also expressed his surprise at the pitch conditions, saying they expected slightly flatter surfaces. He said, "Even when we looked at that first wicket in Barbados, that played totally different to the way that we saw it presenting as well." He added they were "surprised by how much it cracked and went up and down with seam movement."
Selection strategy
Decision to leave out Nathan Lyon
Notably, senior spinner Nathan Lyon was excluded from the Playing XI for the Kingston Test. McDonald said they had compelling information from three days of training with the pink Dukes ball. He added, "That cricket was borderline impossible to play at certain stages. Some of those deliveries from Mitchell Starc, the way that ball behaved under lights ... and so it's a bigger question for what the pink Dukes ball looks like for Test match cricket."
Information
Lowest batting average in Day-Night Tests
As per Wisden, the Kingston Test recorded the lowest batting average among all 24 men's Day-Night Tests, at just 11.85 runs per wicket. The previous record was held by an India-England Test in Ahmedabad in 2021, with a slightly higher average of 12.23 runs per wicket.
West Indies
Dismal performance from WI
On the other hand, Cricket West Indies called a meeting to review the dismal performance against Australia. The hosts were bowled out for a mere 27 in their second innings at Sabina Park. As mentioned, this is now the second-lowest total in Test history. While WI lost by 176 runs, Starc (6/9) took a record five-wicket haul off just 15 balls, the fastest in the format. And Scott Boland picked up a historic hat-trick.
Significance
History of cricket balls
The international cricket balls come in three different brands - Kookaburra, Dukes and SG. In India, SG balls are used for domestic and international matches. The likes of England, Ireland, and West Indies use Dukes balls. Notably, a Dukes ball swings more than SG or Kookaburra. And a pink Dukes ball is even more lethal for batters, owing to the extra lacquer added on it.