Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is going to hit the fans soon. IPL will start on 31 March. But before this a good news has come out for the Indian team. The team has entered the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). This title match will be played against Australia from June 7 at the Oval ground in London.
But the thing to be seen here is that the IPL will run from 31st March to 28th May. Just a week after this, the Indian team will leave for England. Where this World Test Championship final match will be played with Duke ball. While SG ball is used in IPL.
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Duke ball to be used in WTC final
In such a situation, to break it, the Indian team has come up with a trick. Indian players will be seen practicing with duke ball during IPL. So that the players do not face any problem in reaching the final of the World Test Championship just after the IPL.
Here the fans will be quite confused that what are SG and Duke balls? And why IPL is played with SG ball only. Whereas in the final match of the World Test Championship, why only Duke ball will be used. Let’s know the answers to these questions…
How many types of balls are used in cricket?
Currently three types of balls are used in world cricket. These three balls are Kookaburra, Dukes and SG balls. All these three types of balls are used in different countries.
Which country uses which ball?
Kookaburra is used the most in Test playing countries in world cricket. Cricket is played in 8 countries with this ball. Kookaburra is used in Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. While cricket is played in England, Ireland and West Indies with Duke ball. India is the only country which uses SG ball.
Kookaburra – Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
Duke – England, Ireland and the West Indies.
SG – Used only in India.
What is the specialty of all the three balls?
, Duke ball made in England has a raised seam. The stitching of this ball is done by hand. Fast bowlers get more help from this ball. The hardness of duke ball remains for 60 overs. While bowlers start getting reverse swing from this ball only after 20-30 overs.
, Kookaburra and SG ball are slightly different in terms of reverse swing. Reverse swing starts from both the balls around 50 overs. Talk about SG ball, it is made in India only. Its stitching is also done by hand like Duke. The seam of this ball is raised. This ball helps spinners more than fast bowlers.
, Kookaburra balls are made in Australia only. Its stitching is done by machine. Its seam is pressed. This ball is better for fast bowling in the initial 20 to 30 overs. After this it is better for batting. Due to the seam pressing, this ball is less helpful for spinners than other balls.
What are the ICC rules regarding the use of the ball?
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), there are no specific rules regarding the use of the ball. Where a match or series takes place, that country uses the ball as per its choice. A country can also play each series with a different ball.