© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), which Australia won for the first time since 2014-15, saw pacers set the tone. The aggregate match total exceeded 1,000 only once – in the Boxing Day Test, which went into the final session on Day 5.
A lot of this is due to the new variety of Kookaburra cricket balls. Unlike the white balls used for limited-overs cricket, which offer less swing, this version is bowler-friendly.
In combination with surfaces that assisted the fast bowlers, these balls presented a formidable challenge for batters.
Steve Smith, who scored centuries in Brisbane and Melbourne, said: “Since 2021, when they changed the Kookaburra ball, batting has definitely got more difficult, particularly at the same time wickets got greener as well. So, it’s like a perfect storm coming together.”
The last three years, Smith said, “have probably been the hardest that I’ve experienced in my career – batting-wise, in terms of the amount of movement that’s been generated”. This was evident in the way scores have come down, he said. “Bowling averages come down, batting averages come down.”
In the past, bowlers have found the ball going soft once the seam has flattened. To ensure the ball stays harder for longer, extra lacquer was applied – which meant seam movement for longer.
What is causing more deviation is the presence of a ridge under the seam – this has been made by the centre of the ball being housed in two plastic cups raised at the point at which they meet (which is under the seam).
This ridge, sitting below the stitches of the seam, now helps it to stay intact for longer. (It would go flat by the 15th over or so earlier.) A quick who hits the pitch with the seam has a strong chance of getting the ball to deviate more than before.
Add to this green, lively decks, and batters have their task cut out.
How have batters responded to this change?
Openers have traditionally been advised to see off the new ball for the first hour, or even the first session.
But the new balls have made it a challenge for batters to survive that long – and as a result, even the middle order is getting exposed to the new ball.
A reason for Australia to turn to Sam Konstas was the hope that his aggressive approach could get them some quick runs.
“Particularly the first 35 overs of an innings are very challenging at the moment with the significant seam movement. But the ball stays hard. So, if you get through that period, the ball still bounces off the bat a lot harder than it used to,” Smith said.
Is this change experienced by batters reflected in numbers?
The Kookaburra ball was altered after the 2020-21 BGT that India won. This is what the numbers show:
In the 2020-21 series, the Brisbane Test saw 1,328 runs being scored, Sydney 1,228, the Boxing Day (Melbourne) Test 791, and the Pink Ball Test (Adelaide) 564.
Barring the Adelaide day-nighter, the other three Tests saw 399.5, 424.2 and 306.4 overs being sent down respectively.
In the 2024-25 BGT, 979, 711, 802, 1,232, and 685 runs were scored in the first (Perth) to the fifth (Sydney) Tests respectively.
Since the new variety of Kookaburra came into play, the average of batsmen in Australia has come down to 26.40 from 32.08 during the period 2016-21.
“Probably five years ago, you were putting consistent 400s, 500s in the first innings. If you put a three in front of it these days, you’re usually in a pretty strong position. If you get a big score, you’re going to need some luck to do it. And you’re going to have to play really well,” Smith said.
There’s one Australian player, however, whose average has improved through the period: Travis Head’s average has gone up to 55 from 47.
“If we can sort of get to 30-odd overs when Travis comes in, it makes a big difference to the team. The seam probably starts to settle down around 30, 40 overs and the ball stays quite hard,” Smith said.
