CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Much has already been made of the conditions teams can expect in the World Cup. The fact that pitches may be more bowler-friendly in England than in other parts of the world is enough to give bowlers optimism in this bat-dominated form of cricket.

The other factor which will ensure the bat and ball challenge is not one-way traffic is the ball we will be using. I can confidently say English balls are the most popular among bowlers in world cricket, especially the Duke ball.

The reason is that the seams on English balls are hand-stitched, so they are more prominent and make the bowler feel he may get movement should he hit it. In some ways it is a confidence trick, but it does make a difference, as last winter's tour to the Caribbean showed when we used the English balls that were banned after the 1989 season because they gave bowlers a clear advantage.

Curiously, even though all balls have to be the same size, some definitely appear smaller and feel better in your hand than others. Fortunately, the white Duke - the ball we are using in this tournament - feels as good as any. It has caused something of a stir because in one-day games people want to see runs scored, particularly in the high-profile World Cup. White Dukes have been cited as a reason why scores in the old Sunday League have been lowered in recent times.

In an attempt to ensure ball does not dominate bat, Dukes have slightly altered the seam. The stitching used in the seam of the previous ball was lacquered, which meant it stayed hard and prominent so it gave the bowler a better chance of achieving consistent movement. But for the World Cup this lacquer has been removed, meaning the seam, like that on a red ball, will soften and fray as it gets older.

But in the end it does not matter which ball you are using or which type of pitch you are playing on if you do not get enough of your deliveries in the right area.