Ball-Change controversy at the Ashes

Ball-Change controversy at the Ashes

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The 2023 Ashes series was filled with cricketing action but wasn’t without its controversies. After the fifth and final Test at the Oval, a heated debate arose over England changing the ball on the last day of the match. This move has led former Australian captain Ricky Ponting to call for an investigation, as he believes it may have favoured the England bowlers.

During the post-match analysis, Australian opener Usman Khawaja shared his dissatisfaction with the ball change. The replacement ball, brought in during the 37th over of Australia’s chase, felt markedly different to Khawaja and seemed to hit the bat much harder.

“We started off well. The big thing was that ball. As soon as they changed that ball, the first over, they changed that ball. I knew straight away this ball was very different. I went straight up to Kumar and said, ‘how old is this ball you’ve given them? Because it feels like it’s about eight overs old.’ You could see the writing on both sides, and it hit my bat so hard.

I’ve opened in every single innings this Ashes series, and I haven’t felt the ball hit my bat as hard as that ball felt when it hit my bat. So I said to the boys, even coming into today (fifth day), to be careful, this new ball, it’s going to be tricky. It’s going to be a lot harder than that other ball,” Usman Khawaja

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Ponting expressed his concerns about the ball change during the match, stating that the replacement ball did not match the original one and questioning the umpires’ decision. He criticized the discrepancy in the condition of the two balls and stressed the importance of ensuring a like-for-like replacement to maintain fairness in the game. Photos released showed a clear contrast between the two balls, with the replacement ball appearing much newer and shinier.

Ponting believed that the original ball would not have caused as much movement as the replacement did, calling for a thorough investigation into the matter, considering it a significant moment in the game and potentially affecting the outcome of the Test match.

Despite a strong start for Australia, they faced a setback on the final day, losing David Warner and Usman Khawaja while pursuing 384 runs. Warner (60) and Khawaja (72) were the top scorers for Australia in the fourth innings. Marnus Labuschagne also departed in the 49th over after being caught at second slip by a delivery from Mark Wood that swung away.

Ultimately, England emerged victorious by 49 runs, concluding the series 2-2 as Australia was bowled out for 334. The controversy over the ball-change tactic added to the drama of an already intense Ashes series. ß

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