- By Ankit Bisht
- Thu, 03 Aug 2023 06:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has stepped in to respond to the ball change controversy that took place during the final day of the fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Usman Khawaja were shocked with the new ball taken during the innings by England as it was much newer than the previous ball.
Ponting had demanded an investigation on the matter as Australia lost a couple of wickets after the ball was changed and went on to lose the match by 49 runs to draw the series 2-2. Responding to the allegations, ICC has clarified its stand on the matter.
ALSO READ: Former England Captain Feels James Anderson's Experience Will Be Crucial In Tests Against India
“The ICC does not comment on the decisions taken by umpires in matches. We can, however, confirm that all balls are pre-selected before the start of every match and when the situation calls for it, the match officials choose the ball that is closest to the condition of the ball that is being replaced,” ICC's spokesperson said.
Earlier, Ponting had expressed his displeasure with what transpired in the final Ashes Test.
ALSO READ: Shoaib Malik Changes Instagram Bio, Sparks Divorce Speculations With Wife Sania Mirza
"The biggest concern I have is the big discrepancy in the condition of the ball that was chosen to replace. There's no way in the world you can even look at those two balls there and say in any way are they comparable. If you are going to change the ball, you want to make sure that you get it right, so it is as close as you possibly can to the one that you're changing it from. Now if you have a look in that box, there weren't too many older-condition balls in there. There were some older ones that were picked up, the umpires looked at that and threw them back," Ponting had said on Sky Sports.