Karachi, (Asian independent) Pakistan pace legend Waqar Younis on Thursday said the International Cricket Council (ICC) should consider using only one brand of ball in Test cricket as the quicks find it difficult to adjust while playing in different conditions across the globe.
“I have been a big advocate of the Dukes ball for many years but I feel that only one brand of ball should be used around the world for Test cricket,” Younis wrote in a column for the Pakistan Cricket Board.
“It doesn’t matter which brand but the ICC should make that decision. It’s hard for bowlers to adjust to using different types of ball when they play around the world.”
Pakistan played with the Dukes brand during their tour of England, where the visitors lost the three-Test series 0-2.
Besides Dukes, Kookaburra and Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) are the other two cricket balls mainly used in international matches. While India uses SG, England, Ireland and the West Indies use Dukes and all other countries use Kookaburra.
The ICC has banned the use of saliva to shine the ball in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the challenges that both teams faced in the recent Test series was the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball. I don’t think it was actually a major issue given the weather (in England). The pitches themselves were very dry but there was always moisture in the air and the outfields were lush. So, keeping the ball in good condition was not a problem. In other parts of the world, it is always more challenging to keep the ball in good condition.”