A ball-change during the 19th over of England’s chase at Headingley has had a significant impact on the game, with the ball moving much more after the switch and before.
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England had progressed to 82-2 in the 19th over when the umpires deemed that the original ball had lost its shape, allowing Australia to choose a ‘new’ ball of a similar age. Observers picked up that batting became tougher for England in the immediate aftermath. Joe Root edged his next two deliveries – one into his front pad, and one wide of the slips – and Zak Crawley survived a stifled lbw appeal on the first ball of the next over.
Though he belted a cover drive off the next ball he faced, the following delivery brought his downfall, with an edge off Mitch Marsh going to the keeper. There were more close shouts and plenty of movement on offer in the following overs, though Root and Harry Brook were able to negotiate it.
Root fell gloving Pat Cummins behind to Alex Carey, before Ben Stokes and Brook saw England through to the interval.
CricViz data demonstrates how the movement on offer increased significantly before and after the ball change, with more swing on offer in the 10 overs from delivery 18.5 onwards than in the first 10 overs with an entirely brand new ball.
This is despite the fact that Scott Boland, who, before the Headingley Test, was rated as swinging the ball less than any other seamer in CricViz’s database, was bowling at the time, with the increase in movement through the air even more pronounced for Marsh.
Boland found an average of 1.39 degrees of swing in the over before the ball change, and an average of 1.81 degrees in the over after the ball change.
CricViz also revealed that Marsh’s two biggest swinging deliveries in the game each came with the changed ball, including the ball to dismiss Crawley.
Mitchell Marsh's delivery to dismiss Crawley swung 2.7° - the second highest amount of swing he has found in the match.
Both this delivery and his delivery with the most swing (2.9°) have come since the ball has been changed #Ashes2023 #ENGvAUS
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 9, 2023
England fans will be able to comfort themselves with the fact that the changed ball swung less as the session went on, with just 0.56 degrees of swing between overs 29, 30 and 31.
