The Ashes 2023 series ended in a 2-2 draw with England and Australia sharing the honors, but Pat Cummins and co. retained the Ashes after winning the first two Tests and the fourth ending in a draw.
The fifth and final Test of a thrilling Ashes series was unsurprisingly subject to some controversy on the very last day, as England’s remarkable win to level the series was met with questions regarding some of the umpiring decisions.
The major one was when the Australian camp complained about the ball change that occurred early on Day 5, with a roughly 35-over-old ball being changed out for a new-look ball which Australia thought was shinier and harder than it should have been.
This resulted in Australia soon losing 4 quick wickets, shifting the balance in England’s favor after openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner had given Australia a great start in the chase of 384 runs.
Khawaja was hit on the helmet with the changed ball, rattling him enough to soon lose his wicket. Even former Australia cricketers Ricky Ponting and others cited their frustrations about the same.
Now, an ICC spokesperson provided the background on the decision made by the umpires, laying out what protocol the umpires are urged to follow in situations where balls need to be changed.
“The ICC does not comment on the decisions taken by umpires in matches. We can, however, confirm that all balls are pre-selected before the start of every match and when the situation calls for it, the match officials choose the ball that is closest to the condition of the ball that is being replaced,” the ICC spokesperson said.
However, this might not be enough to satisfy the doubts Australian camp and fans will continue to have for a long time, as the ball changed resulting in their chase being derailed in spectacular style.
