Can the Kookaburra swing County cricketing opinion?
The English Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that the structure of this year’s Rothesay County Championship will be largely unchanged, including the return of the controversial Kookaburra ball.
The Australian based, machine-made ball has been featuring as part of an ECB trial since 2023. The aim being to expose English cricketers to the ball conditions that most of the cricketing world uses (Only England, Ireland and the West Indies use the English manufactured Dukes ball).
However, implementing the use of the Kookaburra ball for several rounds of the County Championship season, has led to some hostile responses. Surrey’s Director of Cricket, Alec Stewart, described the Kookaburra trial to ESPNcricinfo in 2024 as “the worst decision ever.”
The crux of these complaints is focussed around a particularly arduous opening two weeks of the 2024 season. Sixteen matches were played producing 16,817 runs, 318 wickets and only one result. Similarly, over the previous two years of the trial there have been 39.54 runs scored per wicket, compared with 31.79 in 12 Dukes ball rounds in 2023.
These figures are in part due to the Kookaburra balls swinging less than their English counterparts. England bowler, James Anderson, explained on the Tailenders podcast that “there’s a different lacquer that coats it... the Dukes, for some reason, swings more and for longer.” This coupled with slow, early season pitches, can cause issues for bowlers less accustomed to the Kookaburra ball.
To address these concerns, the ECB is tweaking the timing of the rounds the infamous ball will be deployed in. Rather than using the Kookaburra in April, when pitches are soft and slow, the ball will be used in rounds 9-12 of the competition in June and July.
Head of Domestic Cricket Operations – Professional game, Alan Fordham, told ESPNcricinfo that there had been “some pretty high-scoring games” leading to the decision to “move [using the Kookaburra] back into the middle of the summer where we might see a bit more reverse swing and give more opportunity to spin bowlers.”
The rest of the tournament’s structure will remain unchanged. Eight straight rounds of uninterrupted red ball cricket will open the season, before the short form Vitality blast, Hundred and Metro Bank One-Day Cup are integrated. The climax of the County Championship will then arrive with a final 3 rounds in September along with the other one-day finals.
Despite there being some unrest about the Kookaburra ball, many bowlers are profiting from the trial including Essex’s Sam Cook. The 27-year-old fast bowler received a call-up to the England Lions Squad last season due to his strong County Championship performances. These included a standout 10-wicket-haul using the Kookaburra ball.
Managing Director of the England men’s team, Rob Key, has praised the trial repeatedly since its introduction. Key told Wisden in April 2024: “Teams need to find quicker bowlers or ones who will force a wicket. You can’t just keep running up bowling at 75mph. And in terms of those guys who are not express, you really work out who can bowl.”
When commenting on the higher batting averages being exhibited in the County Championship to Wisden, Key said: “Why do you think in India their batters come into the Test side averaging 70 [in the Ranji Trophy]? Do you think they’re playing with a little nibbly Dukes ball where it’s doing all sorts? What do we want to be? I want us to be the best team in the world for a generation; this will be one way to do that.”
There have been signs that the trial has been having the desired effect on bowling statistics, especially in increasing the role of spin bowlers. The Guardian found that in the 2024 season, spinners delivered 37% of deliveries in the first two rounds with the Kookaburra. This was up from 17% in the equivalent rounds the season prior.
Key told the Guardian: “This week has shown [the Kookaburra] is rewarding the right type of players. Cricket is about watching pace bowlers, spinners and really good batting. Four days is about the journey.”
The debate over the use of the Kookaburra ball is becoming synonymous with the conversation over what County cricket is meant to be. One option is for it to act primarily as a tool for developing the skillset of players; helping them to deal with international environments, through mastering the art of varied bowling in harsher conditions. The other, to encourage spectacle in the Championship with wickets tumbling and drama unfolding, with the aid of a swing bowlers dream ball.
Perhaps over time balance can be struck between the two, as bowlers learn to adapt to the different bowling options offered by the Kookaburra and spin bowlers seize their increased responsibility. The change in rounds using the Kookaburra could also win round some critics. Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, cricket fans across England will all be watching this season closely and anticipating any surprise late swing from the contentious Kookaburra.
©Cricket World 2025