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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Tanya Aldred

ECB to continue with controversial Kookaburra in County Championship

ECB County Championship Championship Alec Stewart Cricket
The Kookaburra cricket ball
The ECB are continuing with the Kookaburra ball, despite Alec Stewart describing it as ‘the worst decision ever’. Photograph: Dave Vokes/Shutterstock

As the ink dried on the latest million-pound Indian Premier League contracts, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released details for the men’s 2025 County Championship season. It is one that looks largely the same as 2024, only with some tinkering around the edges with the Kookaburra ball and the trial of hybrid pitches continuing for another year.

The Kookaburra experiment continues, despite audible discontent from some bowlers and the outgoing Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart describing it “as the worst decision ever”. But the early season dalliance has been binned – after 16,817 runs were scored in the first two rain-hit rounds for only one result – and instead the Dukes will be substituted for the Kookaburrain rounds nine-12 in late June and July.

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