English cricket is facing a potential disruption to the summer season due to a shortage of Dukes balls, caused by supply-chain issues linked to the conflict in the Middle East. Dukes, which produces between 4,000 and 5,000 balls each summer for Test and first-class cricket, has encountered problems transporting balls stitched in south Asia to its factory in Walthamstow.
Dilip Jajodia, the company’s owner, warned that airlines are not taking freight due to a logjam, and costs have risen sharply. “A box of 120 cricket balls would be charged normally by airlines at about $5 (£3.76) a kilo. The last quote I got was $15 a kilo,” he told the Daily Mail. He added that clubs are being rationed to 50 per cent of their balls at the start of the season.
The new County Championship season is scheduled to begin on 3 April, with preseason fixtures already underway. Dukes will be the sole supplier of red balls this summer after the ECB ended an experiment with Kookaburra balls.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) played down fears over supply. A spokesperson said: “The Professional County Clubs have received the number of Dukes balls that they normally would ahead of the season.”
