Team India takes legal action in ICC

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has seen yet another controversy, with the Indian team filing a complaint with the ICC match referee. According to The Indian Express, Indian officials are unhappy with the ball-change process and have accused match officials of favoring England in the selection of replacement balls.

The Duke's ball has been a topic of discussion throughout the series between India and England. Players from both sides have raised concerns over the ball losing its shape and becoming too soft far too early in the innings. The ball had to be changed twice during the morning session on Day 3 of the Lord's Test.

India in Command at Lord’s Before Controversial Ball Change

India appeared to be in control during the third Test at Lord’s when Jasprit Bumrah triggered a collapse. He dismissed Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes in just 14 deliveries, reducing England to 271/7. However, the momentum shifted after the second new ball lost shape within 10 overs.

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According to ICC guidelines, the replacement ball should match the original in terms of usage. However, the new ball failed to swing or seam effectively, allowing England to recover. Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse both scored half-centuries, denying India a chance to take a first-innings lead.

ESPNcricinfo reported that the original second new ball averaged 1.869 degrees of swing and 0.579 degrees of seam movement, while the replacement swung only 0.855 degrees, though it offered a similar seam of 0.594 degrees. India eventually lost the match by a narrow margin of 22 runs.

India Raise Ball Change Concerns with the Match Referee

According to The Indian Express, the Indian team management has raised concerns with the match referee over the ball-change procedures. India feels that the replacement protocol has not been followed correctly and that England may have been favored.

“At Lord’s, after about 10 overs, the Duke's ball lost its shape, something that has been happening so often in the series. The ball failed to pass through the rings that the umpires carry on the field to check if the ball is uniformly spherical. However, the umpires didn’t have a ball that was 10 overs old, so the Indian team, at a crucial moment of the match, got a ball that was 30-35 overs old,” said an Indian team official.

“Check the scoreboard to see how the game changed after that. The bowlers lost their swing and England scored with ease,” the official said.

India Given ‘30–35-Over-Old Ball’ at Lord’s, Confirms Team Official

An Indian team official stated that the Dukes ball lost its shape in just 10 overs, and the umpires handed India a replacement ball that appeared to be around 30–35 overs old.

“When you ask for a ball change, you aren’t told about the age of the replacement you will be getting. At Lord’s, we weren’t told that the replacement would be 30 to 35 overs old. If we were told, we would have continued with the deformed ball that was used for 10 overs. The ICC needs to intervene. This rule needs to be changed," he said.

India are set to face England in the fifth and final Test of the series, starting on July 31. After the fourth Test at Old Trafford ended in a draw, India’s hopes of winning the series were dashed. However, a win in the final match at The Oval would allow them to level the series and avoid a defeat.

Also read: Shubman Gill enters Gautam Gambhir's fight with Oval Curator