The Dukes ball has become the centre of controversy in the onoging Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The ball has lost his shape, the wear and tear has been rapid. Many former cricketers have pointed out the issues in Dukes ball as well. Even England's legendary pacer Stuart Broad said that the issue is a long-running one, nearly half a decade. After three Tests and plenty of criticism, the Dukes owner (British Cricket Balls Ltd) Dilip Jajodia has said that they will collect used balls from Lord's Test and send them for inspection to get to the root of the issue.
"We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials - everything," Jajodia told BBC Sport.
"Everything we do will be reviewed and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will."
In the Lord's Test, there were plenty ball changes. But the one raised eyebrows was after 10.2 overs on Day 2's first session.
Factors contributing to change in Dukes ball's nature
Jajodia listed out all the factors that could have contributed to the rapid disfigurement and softness of the ball. The possible reasons range from raw materials to the craftsmanship that has taken a hit since Covid-19.
"One is the raw materials which are natural and then has to be moulded and put together by a human being," he said.
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"Obviously the major aspect of a cricket ball is the leather that holds the whole thing together, and if the fibres that form the animal skin has got some sort of weakness or inherent problem that's something we can only find if it fails by further inspection and investigation."
He added: "Covid did have a very serious effect on all sorts of businesses.
"In the whole process of tanning leather I would expect changes in personnel, whether either they passed away or decided that it was all too difficult.
"Also it may be some of the chemicals are not available any more because companies are going out of business. It could be the cattle themselves or it could be the processes.
"There is literally almost one tanner left that does cricket ball leather so there's not a choice. You have to work with the tannery to make sure that they produce what you want and by and large they do."
Dukes owner's bizarre short-term solution
While the issue with the Dukes ball is being assessed, Jajodia has suggested a temporary solution. He said that instead of new ball being made available after 80 overs, it should be reduced to 65 overs.
"At the end of the day, we've had three Test matches, they've all been good games," he said. "They've been interesting games.
"We should be very cautious and not be looking for drastic and dramatic changes.
"This is a product that's been going since 1760. There is no snap answer, all you can do is to go through the routine of everything that you do and try and identify."
Meanwhile, England have taken a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series. The fourth Test is scheduled to begin on July 23 at The Old Trafford, Manchester.