England captain Joe Root has attributed the batters’ struggles in the ongoing series between England and Pakistan to the new batch of Dukes balls being used in the series.
No batter has been able to score an individual century in the two completed Tests so far, while Pakistan is yet to cross 200 as a team after four innings. Root himself has 91 runs at an average of 31.33.
“I think the balls have been very different this year,” said Root after his side sealed the series with a 194-run win in the second Test on Sunday.
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“I think there’s a different lacquer to them. I’ve not got evidence on that, I probably need to ask Dukes, but I think there’s a lacquer on the seam. They don’t want them to go out of shape and get them changed.”
Root believed that the balls were making the pitches more helpful for bowlers.
“They seem a lot firmer and probably if they’re dinting the wickets then it’s going to seam off the dints, it’s going to make it move more.”
He added, “Sometimes you do come across summers where you know it is the perfect storm. You get overcast conditions, you get a bit of rain to contend with, the balls are slightly different and it’s hard. But that’s part of the challenge of Test cricket.”
Published on Aug 31, 2026
