The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been under fire for using a disputed batch of white Kookaburra balls in the 2024 edition of The Hundred, which many players feel led to the extremely low scoring. The move prompted substantial criticism from players, who cited the ball’s erratic behaviour and influence on run rates.
The scoring rate in the men competition was 1.37 runs per ball which is far less than other short-format leagues including Indian Premier League (IPL), Major League Cricket (MLC), and SA20, although The Hundred event was designed to allow more aggressive batting.
These conditions were to the advantage of bowlers like Daniel Worrall and Tim Southee. Players had reason to believe that it was the specific batch of balls, as there was a huge emblem of the letter H on them, and it needed more lacquer. This was supposed to have made it feel more plasticky and change the way it off the bat, and make it harder to hit with stroke play.
“The seam seems to be massive. Every game, it seems the ball is nipping. Most teams are 30 for 5 in most games,” said Moeen Ali told the Cricketer as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Bowlers such as Daniel Worrall and Tim Southee benefited greatly from these conditions. Players suspected that the problem was with the specific batch of balls, which had a large ‘H’ emblem that required additional lacquer. This allegedly gave the ball a ‘plasticky’ feel, altering how it came off the bat and made stroke play more difficult.
The ball manufacturer Kookaburra claimed the white balls used during the 2024 tournament were manufactured as per the same specifications as the other domestic and international champs but, with the exclusion of the tournament logo. In the meantime, a detailed inquiry ordered to begin by the ECB over the winter reported, with no suggestion that the balls behaved any differently than those used in other white-ball formats throughout England and Wales.
Nonetheless, ball-tracking data indicated that the seam movement and swing have increased significantly on the very first day of the 2023 season, which persisted in 2024. Analysts attributed this phenomenon primarily to external conditions, including pitch and weather and the new format of the game that gives bowlers a chance to bowl 15 of the first 20 deliveries of an innings, as opposed to any internal differences in the structure of the ball.
Standard, unbranded balls opted
Regardless of this, the ECB has opted to drop the branded or the so-called Hundred balls and switch to the normal ones in the T20 Blast starting in 2025. The decision was based on constant adverse comments by the players and the board hopes that the changes will not only stop complaints regarding how the ball was behaving but will also enhance the scoring which is likely to do so since there will be no perceived bowler advantages.
Still, the transfer did not make much difference to the first match of the 2025 season. On sluggish, low pitch Oval Invincibles bowled out London Spirit and managed to chase only 80 runs. The famous leg-spinner Rashid Khan, making his debut for the two-time defending champions, admitted the pitch was difficult to bat on but concluded with superb figures of 3 for 11.
