DARREN STEVENS

While our very own Dukes cricket ball takes centre stage in the Ashes over the next few weeks, English domestic cricket will quietly be undergoing a curious experiment: Australia’s Kookaburra ball is to be given a trial in two rounds of the County Championship, starting with next Sunday’s games and concluding after the subsequent four-day games between July 10 and 13.
The ECB made the move following recommendations made by Andrew Strauss’s High Performance Review last September. The theory is that it will better equip our bowlers with the skills necessary to thrive overseas...