The International Cricket Council (ICC) have broken their silence over the controversial ball change late on Day 4 that turned the fifth Ashes Test on its head.
Australia were on track for their first Ashes series victory in the UK since 2001 and were in a strong position chasing down the 384 target, however a change of ball ruined the Aussies’ innings and they were eventually bowled out for 334 with England winning the match and the series tied at 2-2.
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Controversy erupted late on Day 4 when Australian opener Usman Khawaja was hit on the helmet by England fast bowler Mark Wood and England complained to umpires Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena the ball had lost its shape following the incident.
The umpires then chose a new ball from a box of at least 12 varyingly aged balls with England gaining a huge advantage on the final day as the ball caused huge problems for Australia.
“The ICC does not comment on the decisions taken by umpires in matches,” an ICC spokesperson said of the controversial ball change.
“We can, however, confirm that all balls are pre-selected before the start of every match and when the situation calls for it, the match officials choose the ball that is closest to the condition of the ball that is being replaced.”
Following the match, Khawaja revealed he had spoken to the umpires on Day 4 and again on Day 5 and raised his concerns about the condition of the ball.
“I walked straight up to Kumar and said straight away, ‘That ball looks nothing like the one we were playing with. I can see writing on it’,” Khawaja told cricket.com.au
“It felt harder than any ball I‘ve faced in this Ashes series — and I’ve opened the batting against the new ball every single time.
“I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on — you’ve gone from an old, reverse (swinging) ball to a brand-new ball’.”
Before being given out on Day 5, Khawaja questioned umpire Wilson about the ball as it was seaming and swinging everywhere and to his shock, the Australian opener was given a surprise response.
“I asked Joel (Wilson) again today, ‘How are we using this ball right now? It’s so new’. And he said, ‘There was nothing else in the box’,” Khawaja told cricket.com.au
Australian cricket great Ricky Ponting immediately raised concerns about the new ball.
“It certainly looks a lot newer than the one they changed from,” Ponting said during the controversial incident.
“Look at how much writing is on the side of that ball.
“That is a huge contrast to the conditions to the two Dukes balls.”
Ponting was scathing in his analysis and called for an investigation into the ball change controversy.
“The biggest concern I have is the big discrepancy in the condition of the ball that was chosen (as a replacement); there’s no way in the world you can even look at those two balls there and say in any way they are comparable,” Ponting said on Sky Sports during the lunch break on Day 5.
“At the end of the day, if you are going to change the ball, you want to make sure you get it right, so it’s as close as you possibly can to the one that you’re changing it from.
“There weren’t too many older condition balls in there — there were some older ones that were picked up, they threw them back.
“I cannot fathom how two international umpires that have done this so many times before, have got this so wrong.
“That is a huge moment in this game, potentially a huge moment in the Test match, and something I think has to be investigated.
“Whether there were the right condition balls in the box, or whether the umpires have gone and blasé, picked one out of there.
“It was a perfect storm; conditions were perfect for bowling this morning but that ball … I’ve got no doubt at all, that ball would not have done anywhere near as much as (the changed ball) this morning.
“Double the amount of movement from this morning, seam movement and swing. I think it’s a huge blunder that, as I said, needs to be investigated.”
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