Dukes to Investigate the Controversial 'Ball-Change Incident' in 5th Ashes Test | ENG vs AUS

In the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2023 at the Oval, a highly contentious incident occurred. It got worse over England's ball change on Day 4, which a number of Australian players deemed to be unsporting.

The 36 over old ball was replaced with a new one, but Australia complained that the new ball was sleeker and firmer than expected. The change of ball proved decisive as Australia lost wickets consecutively and was ultimately vanquished by 49 runs.

According to the most recent report, Dukes, the manufacturer of the ball used in Test matches in England, will investigate the matter.

Dilip Jajodia, the owner of British Cricket Limited, the company that manufactures the Dukes ball, told Code Sports, "I'm going to investigate myself because it affects me… my reputation is at stake, so it's vital that they don't falsely allege a defect in the ball."

"I can't believe they would risk placing in a ball with a different date," the proprietor said, adding, "The match referee should be on top of this. This number is pressed into the ball with considerable force, so even if the gold peels off, the ball is still marked. It would be difficult to remove. It's not inconceivable, but it's highly unlikely."

The International Council issued a clarification on how the process is carried out after the ball-changing saga garnered a great deal of attention and cricketers of the past and present commented on the matter.

"The International Cricket Council does not comment on decisions made by match umpires. "However, we can confirm that all balls are pre-selected prior to the start of each match, and when the situation calls for it, match officials choose the ball that is closest in condition to the one being replaced," a spokesperson for the global cricket governing body said.