Only one brand of ball should be used around the world, opines Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis, who has taken 373 Test and 416 ODI wickets in his career, was held as one of the best fast bowlers of his generations and was almost unplayable in the conditions that offered help to the seamers. At his peak, his swinging deliveries coming at a lethal pace were a nightmare even for the best batsmen of his generation. After retiring, he has been in the Pakistani coaching setup for quite some time now. 

The 48-year-old, who definitely knows a thing or two about bowling fast and picking up wickets, opined that the International Cricket Council should standardize the use of only one brand of ball in Test cricket as it is hard for bowlers to adjust while playing in different conditions across the world. 

“I have been a big advocate of the Dukes ball for many years but I feel that only one brand of ball should be used around the world for Test cricket,” Younis wrote in a column for the Pakistan Cricket Board as quoted by Hindustan Times. 

“It doesn’t matter which brand but the ICC should make that decision. It’s hard for bowlers to adjust to using different types of ball when they play around the world.” 

Dukes, Kookaburra, and SG are the three cricket balls mainly used in international matches. While India uses SG, England, Ireland and the West Indies use Dukes and all other countries use Kookaburra.

Recently, the ICC has banned the use of saliva to shine the ball in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Younis, who is also Pakistan’s bowling coach, losing 0-1 in the three-match Test series in England, reckoned that the ban wasn’t an issue in England due to the moist weather and would be challenging in other parts of the world where weather is not so suitable. 

“One of the challenges that both teams faced in the recent Test series was the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball. I don’t think it was actually a major issue given the weather (in England).

“The pitches themselves were very dry but there was always moisture in the air and the outfields were lush so keeping the ball in good condition was not a problem. In other parts of the world, it is always more challenging to keep the ball in good condition.” Younis added.