PCB Reverts to Kookaburra Ball for 2026–27 First‑Class Season

Overview

• The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the Kookaburra will replace the Dukes across the President’s Trophy and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the 2026–27 first-class season.
• The change takes effect with the opening of the President’s Trophy on Saturday, September 12, 2026, and will also apply when the expanded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins on November 1, 2026.
• The PCB said officials were worried that the Dukes’ pronounced, long-lasting seam combined with grassy northern pitches gave seamers outsized advantage and may have masked domestic fast-bowlers’ true development.
• Kookaburra balls have a flatter, quicker-wearing seam that typically offers early movement then softens, which the board expects will give batters more time at the crease and increase the role of spinners as matches progress.
• The decision reverses a two-season Dukes experiment launched in 2024–25 to revive pace bowling after earlier trials and follows poor Test results and coaching changes, with the board framing the move as a development step to better align domestic cricket with international preparation.