London, November 8 : The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially decided to end the use of Kookaburra balls in the County Championship starting from the 2026 season. The move comes after detailed feedback from county cricket directors and the Professional Game Committee, who unanimously favored a return to the traditional Duke ball.
The Kookaburra experiment began three years ago, aimed at helping county players adapt to conditions similar to international cricket. However, the initiative failed to deliver the desired results, with many feeling that it reduced the competitiveness and excitement of matches.
A key example cited by critics was this year’s County Championship match at The Oval, where Surrey declared their innings after scoring 820 runs against Durham, highlighting how the Kookaburra’s minimal seam movement and limited durability made bowling ineffective.
According to the ECB, the Kookaburra ball was first introduced in 2023 for two rounds, later expanded to four rounds each in 2024 and 2025. But during a meeting in October, cricket directors from all 18 first-class counties recommended that the experiment be discontinued.
Following their recommendation, the ECB’s Professional Game Committee formally approved the decision this week.
Starting from the 2026 season, all 14 rounds of the County Championship will once again be played with the traditional hand-stitched Duke ball, bringing an end to the use of the machine-made Kookaburra.