New balls, please

The Kookaburra ball gets ridiculously soft after very few overs and kills the game dead once the swing has gone. The Duke and the SG stay harder longer, but they react differently to similar conditions in, say, the subcontinent or England. The answer lies in producing the ball that which bowlers can work and good batsmen can profit, writes Mike Selvey in the Guardian.

... it should not be beyond the wit of manufacturers, backed by the pocket of ICC, to make a series of prototypes using larger cores, artificially made if necessary, with tighter winding and a leather that will suit all conditions. Something that will deteriorate gradually but not to excess, offering orthodox swing at the start, reverse later and grip for the spinner.