The upcoming English domestic cricket season is facing uncertainty over the supply of match balls, with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East affecting logistics, Daily Mail reported.Dukes, a manufacturer that has been in operation since 1760, supplies red balls for Test and first-class cricket in England. Around 4,000 to 5,000 balls are produced for each summer season, which begins on April 3.
Dilip Jajodia, who has owned the company for nearly four decades, said supply-chain disruptions linked to the conflict have forced the company to limit distribution to counties at the start of the season.English counties are set to begin the domestic campaign with only half the number of balls they usually require, as delays in transport have affected deliveries.“We’ve got a major crisis right now with this bloody Gulf war nonsense,” Jajodia told the Daily Mail. “We’ve got to ration clubs by giving them 50 per cent of their balls at the start of the season, and then manage the problem.”Dukes balls are made using leather sourced from British cows and processed in Chesterfield. The material is then sent to South Asia for stitching before being shipped back to the United Kingdom. The return leg of this process has been affected, leading to shortages.“We’ve got plenty of stuff in the factories in the subcontinent ready to go, but the airlines are not taking the freight, because there’s a logjam.“The rates have gone up, too. A box of 120 cricket balls would be charged normally by airlines at about $5 a kilo. The last quote I got was $15 a kilo. Most of the stuff goes through the Middle East, but if you’ve suddenly got rockets flying around, you’ve got a major problem,” Jajodia was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.The report noted that the shortage could impact the start of the domestic season, with counties receiving fewer balls than required. Dukes balls are also used in Test cricket in England, Ireland and the West Indies, apart from domestic competitions.However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said there was no immediate concern.“The Professional County Clubs have received the number of Dukes balls that they normally would ahead of the season.”The board added that it procures balls in bulk based on requests made by counties at the start of the season, and that current supplies are in line with those requirements. It also said there is no issue regarding the availability of balls for Test matches later in the summer.The situation has become more significant after the ECB decided to discontinue the use of the Kookaburra ball in parts of the County Championship from the 2026 season. As a result, Dukes will be the only ball used in the domestic red-ball competition.Dukes is now exploring alternative shipping routes from the subcontinent to avoid the disruption to air traffic in the Middle East.
