A Test-defining ball change prompted outcry during the Ashes last year. And another friendly swap has again aided England in their victory against Sri Lanka in Manchester.
England has benefited from a Test-defining ball change for the second time in a year, prompting Sri Lankan veteran Angelo Mathews to call for more rigorous rules around the controversial practice.
Umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel agreed to England’s request to swap out a wearing Dukes ball in the 41st over for a firmer ball with a more prominent seam. Speaking to broadcasters Sky Sports at the start of day four, Mathews said he had been told the replacement ball was not as the original one and that the ball-change had turned the Test match.“We were told they didn’t have old enough balls to replace. It changed the entire momentum of the game. You work so hard to get rid of that shine, and we did that.
A similar move during last year’s fifth Ashes Test prompted queries from Australian opener Usman Khawaja, who “hadn’t felt the ball hit my bat as hard” as when the ball was controversially swapped at England’s request.Sri Lankan batting coach and former English batter Ian Bell was more diplomatic about the ball change’s impact at Manchester, pointing out that the venue’s lights were turned on amid heavy cloud cover around the same time.
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