Facts you should know about Dukes, Kookaburra and SG balls

Do you know that cricket teams of different countries are associated with different kinds of cricket balls? If there is a match in England, they would be using a Dukes ball. If the match is in Australia, the teams will play with a Kookaburra ball. Matches held in India use SG balls. It is the cricket board of the country which selects the balls to be used in the matches in that country after rigorous testing.

Here are a few interesting facts about these crickets balls –

– Sanspareils Co., the manufacturer of SG balls, was established in 1931 by brothers Kedarnath and Dwarkanath Anand in Sialkot(now in Pakistan) to make sports goods. It is in 1991 when BCCI approved SG and the ball began being used in domestic and international cricket matches.
– Kookaburra was a company established in 1890, and its name comes from its founder AG Thompson’s pet Kookaburra ‘Jacky’.
– Dukes, as a brand, is older than Kookaburra and SG, having received a Royal patent for cricket balls in 1775.
– Dukes balls boast of a higher swing than the Kookaburra, which gives the home team an advantage when it is playing with a team unfamiliar with the ball.
– Kookaburra balls have a low seam, but it helps the ball to swing for 20 to 30 overs.
– SG balls are known for surviving in rough conditions with their wider seam and thicker thread used for stitching. They also offer a better grip to bowlers.
– Duke & Son of the Dukes brand made the first-ever six-seam cricket ball, and this ball was presented to the then Prince of Wales and also used in the matches of the 1780 English cricket season.
– Kookaburra has been endorsed by many players including former Australia Captain Ricky Ponting and Martin Guptill of New Zealand.
– SG Test balls are handmade and come at 20% of the price of Kookaburra balls.

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