LAHORE: As the domestic cricket season is set to commence next month, the PCB announced on Sunday that Duke balls will be used for all seniors’ red-ball domestic events.

Aceline and Grays will be the local brand of cricket balls that will be utilised for pathways and grassroots cricket, including the U-15, U-17, U-19 tournaments, schools, universities, clubs, and inter-district competitions, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said.

This decision follows an extensive analysis of ground and pitch conditions across domestic venues, with the Duke ball being custom-made to suit the characteristics of local pitches, the spokesman added.

The PCB has confirmed the brands of cricket balls that will be used in the 2024-25 cricket season, a strategic move aimed at enhancing the quality of the game to align with the specific needs of home playing conditions, he added.

For the domestic 50-over and T-20 competitions, the PCB will continue to use Kookaburra cricket balls, maintaining consistency with international standards, as all white-ball cricket worldwide, including ICC events, is played with Kookaburra balls, the spokesman said, adding: “For the seven ICC World Test Championship fixtures, the PCB has decided to use Kookaburra cricket balls. These matches include two Tests against Bangladesh, three Tests against England, and two Tests against the West Indies.”

According to ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, the home board has the prerogative to decide on the brand of cricket balls to be used.

With the recent appointment of Tony Hemming as the Chief Curator, the PCB is confident that pitches will be prepared to support the usage of different cricket balls throughout the 2024-25 season.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024