Three years ago, the experiment was initially implemented by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as part of Andrew Strauss’ high-performance review. After three seasons, the contentious trial regarding the Kookaburra ball’s use in the County Championship has been suspended. Instead of using the conventional Dukes ball, the Kookaburra was designed to promote the growth of bowlers and spinners with exceptional skill sets, better preparing players for international cricket.
The experiment first ran for two rounds of matches and started in 2023. Several county coaches, however, swiftly criticized it, claiming that the Kookaburra ball, which has less seam movement and swing, resulted in flat pitches and boring games.
In spite of the criticism, Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket for the ECB and a fervent advocate for the project, persuaded the counties to extend the experiment to four rounds for the 2024 campaign.
His optimism was not universally shared. “It was the worst decision ever,” said Alec Stewart, director of cricket for Surrey. However, Key defended the experiment, saying that despite 17 of the first 18 games that season ending in draws, it had created some good cricket. In 2025, the Kookaburra was used for four additional rounds, continuing the trend of a high number of stalemates. The most notable example was at The Oval when Surrey defeated Durham with a club-record 820 for 9.
Eventually, the frustration between the counties spilled out. Cricket directors from all 18 first-class counties met last month and unanimously decided to call off the trial. A subcommittee of the Professional Game Committee, the ECB’s Cricket Advisory Group, agreed with their viewpoint and earlier this week announced that the Dukes ball would only be used again in 2026.
Discussions regarding fixture structures have been left to the clubs since the ECB has taken a more detached stance towards county cricket. Counties approved a little reduction in T20 Blast fixtures, but they were unable to agree on significant Championship revisions. This means that the 2026 County Championship will once again be contested with only the classic, hand-stitched Dukes ball for all 14 rounds.
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