Australia batter Usman Khawaja expressed frustration over the ball change during the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval in London, which he believed played a role in England’s comeback to win the match. The tourists began the last day needing 249 more runs to reach a target of 384, starting on 135-0.
England’s Chris Woakes made a crucial impact early on the final day, taking two wickets in quick succession, dismissing both David Warner(60) and Usman Khawaja (72) after their strong opening partnership.
The ball seemed to be moving more in the air and off the pitch compared to the previous day.
While factors like overhead conditions and a refreshed pitch due to rain could have contributed to the difficult batting conditions, the change of ball might have also influenced the game. The ball was replaced after England fast bowler Mark Wood hit Khawaja on the helmet late on the preceding day.
In such situations, the on-field umpires are expected to choose a replacement ball similar in condition to the one being replaced.
However, TV footage suggested that the replacement ball used was noticeably newer than the old ball, and there seemed to be no other ball with equal wear and tear available for the umpires to select from a box of replacement balls.
This incident added to the frustration for Khawaja and the Australian team as they faced a challenging situation, leading to England’s eventual victory in the match.
I walked straight up to Kumar (Dharmasena, the umpire) and said straightaway, ‘That ball looks nothing like the one we were playing with. I can see writing on it’,” Khawaja told cricket.com.au after Australia had been bowled out for 334 to give England a 49-run victory.
“It felt harder than any ball I’ve faced in this Ashes series — and I’ve opened the batting against the new ball every single time,” added Khawaja, the leading run-scorer on either side in the five-Test campaign with 496.
“I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on — you’ve gone from an old, reverse (swinging) ball to a brand-new ball.
“Personally, I think if there’s nothing else in the box that can match the ball you have, you can’t really change it.
“It’s a bit frustrating as a batting unit because we worked our backsides off for 36 overs and then they changed the ball.
“As an opener you work so hard to get through to there and then you’re facing a new ball again.”
