Overview

• The third Test at Lord’s saw multiple Dukes balls replaced after failing gauge tests, including one changed after just eight overs of play.
• Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad ridiculed a rejected ball as too soft, quipping he’d “play rugby” with it on Sky Sports.
• Umpires have increasingly relied on gauge measurements to authorize ball changes, but no amendments to official regulations have been proposed.
• Dukes faces intensified scrutiny as it competes with Sanspareils Greenlands for the lucrative BCCI red-ball supply contract.
• Observers attribute the escalating wear to modern batting aggression, harder bats and prolonged hot, dry summers accelerating ball deterioration.