Fake balls on sale at Lord's

Karachi, May 1: London police will investigate charges that the Lord's official shop is selling cricket balls manufactured in Pakistan by labelling them as 'Made in England'.

The Sunday Telegraph said the police have been asked to probe the matter by a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) member after he received complaints that cricket balls of 'Grade-I' were sub-standard.

The police intervention, the paper said, came after the MCC member suspected that the balls were not authentic, of shady quality and manufactured aboard.

The report added that three MCC members sent samples of two of England's cricket balls manufactured for analysis and were told the balls were of "extremely variable and dubious quality."

"While the leather on the Marylebone ball is English, everything else, from the polyurethane cover to stitching, was manufactured in Pakistan," the newspaper alleged. Each ball costs 29 pounds.

Any police inquiry will centre on a range of souvenir balls bearing the word 'Marylebone' or the names of legendary figures from the world of cricket, 'Grace' as in W.G. and 'Plum' as in Sir Pelham Warner, the report said.

Dilip Jajodia, a MCC member, told The Sunday Telegraph: "I am surprised to see the poor quality of the balls stocked bearing the Lord's stamp."

However, another unidentified MCC member expressed his ignorance over reports that police have been asked to conduct investigations.

"I confidently expect the balls to go back on sale next week. We're not looking at top-end balls which you pay 100 pounds for.

"Our lawyers are satisfied that there is no breach of the Trade Descriptions Act or of British Trading Standards."