“The Kookaburra is very different to the Dukes”: Chris Woakes opens up on playing with Dukes Ball vs Kookaburra Ball ahead of Ashes 2021

Ashes 2021: English pacer Chris Woakes talks about the aspect of playing with Dukes Ball vs Kookaburra Ball ahead of the Brisbane Test.

England’s preparation for the Ashes has not been ideal so far. The first 3-day warm-up game was ruined by the rain, but the rain stayed away on Day one of their second game. England have always struggled to play in Australian conditions. The last win for England in Australia came in the 2010-11 Ashes triumph.

The English bowlers rely on their swing bowling, and the Dukes in England make their job easy. However, the Kookaburra balls are quite different, whereas the dry conditions of Australia don’t help either. The Kookaburra swings way lesser than the Dukes, and the bowlers need to rely on lengths more than the swing.

England lost the last Ashes in Australia by 4-0, where Chris Woakes struggled a lot. Woakes managed to scalp just ten wickets at an average of 49.50. He has agreed that it is very different to bowl with the Kookaburras as compared to Dukes. The duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad have the experience, but the result has not been great.

Ashes 2021: Chris Woakes opens up on Dukes Ball vs Kookaburra Ball

English all-rounder Chris Woakes has talked about the challenges with the Kookaburra ball.

“The Kookaburra is very different to the Dukes and what we’re used to back home,” Woakes said.

“We have a good amount of experience from guys who have been here before. We touch base with those guys to see what’s worked in the past.”

The English bowlers find it tough to grip the Kookaburra balls, and the lack of practice due to rain does not help too. Woakes insists that they will need to experiment to counter the likes of Warner, Smith, and Labushchagne.

“It’s about trying to experiment. Getting the ball to move sideways is probably the biggest challenge,” Woakes said.

“Trying to work different things, like how we hold it. Trying to get the ball to move off the straight is quite important.”

Talking about the Gabba’s wicket, Woakes said that the pitch offers a lot of bounce, but bowling just shorter balls won’t help the cause.

“You have to be willing to change your game… different ball, different conditions [to England],” Woakes said.

“You do get good bounce here. Trying to extract that as much as possible. Naturally you bowl a little shorter here but you don’t want to be drawn into bowling too short. [It’s about] trying to utilise that bounce.”

The first Ashes 2021-22 test is set to start on 8th December 2021 at the Gabba in Brisbane.