Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad on Monday joked that he could play Rugby with the out-of-shape ball that was used in the third Test between India and the hosts at the Lord's in London. The red Dukes ball has come under serious questioning as captains of both sides have requested consistent ball changes from the umpire after it has gone out of shape quite early in its usage.
The red ball is expected to last 80 overs after which captains can take the second new ball. However, in this series, some balls have gone out of shape within 10 overs forcing umpires to bring in a different ball. This has created a huge controversy with players expressing displeasure over the fact.
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Broad on Monday during the pre-match show of Sky Sports said that ball changes did not happen during his time as a player. He joked that the ball had gone so much out of shape that it resembled a rugby ball.
"The reason it is out of shape is because it is soft. I can squeeze that even more out of shape so that it gets an ugly shape on the top. So when that is hitting the surface, it is just dying on the surface and it is not going to react off the surface. You need the hardness of the seam to grip and move and even to play a lovely cover drive and hit a four," he said.
India vs England 3rd Test Day 4
At the end of the first session on Day 4, England had reached 98 for the loss of four wickets. Mohammed Siraj had taken two wickets early in the day and then Nitish Kumar Reddy alongside Akash Deep struck to put England in a tricky situation. Late on the third day, India got bowled out on 387 to draw level with England's first innings score in only the ninth instance of tied first innings score in Test cricket history.
