India’s pace ace Jasprit Bumrah brought both smiles and wickets at Lord’s during the Third Test against England. But this time, it was his witty one-liner — “I don’t want to get my match fees deducted” — that stole the spotlight amid growing noise around the Dukes ball controversy.
After the umpires changed the ball during England’s first innings due to it going out of shape, questions were raised about the quality of the new Dukes balls used in this series. When asked for his take, Bumrah gave a cheeky reply, clearly choosing to stay out of trouble.
“I don’t want to lose my match fee, so I’ll keep quiet,” Bumrah said, grinning, as reporters burst into laughter.
Ball Change Controversy
- Dukes balls were becoming noticeably deformed and soft after roughly 20–25 overs, prompting several mid-innings ball changes .
- Umpires replaced one just before Tea, drawing criticism from players like Shubman Gill, though Bumrah opted for his cheeky silence .
- Allowing an early burst of wickets from Jasprit Bumrah, India requested a ball change after just 10 overs on the new ball, which is highly unusual for a Dukes ball.
- The umpires agreed and handed over a replacement, but even that ball was deemed subpar after only 48 more deliveries, prompting a second request for change.
Gill’s reaction:
- He approached on-field umpires Saikat and Sharfuddoula visibly upset, using animated gestures and pressing for a newer ball.
- Siraj joined him, caught on stump mic saying: “Is this a new ball? Seriously?”
- Gill’s tone was heated—he refused to return to his fielding position until the umpires responded, forcing them to conduct another ball gauge test and oblige a second replacemen
Jasprit Bumrah took 5 wickets for 74 runs in the first innings of the 3rd Test at Lord’s.
- This included clean-bowled dismissals of big names like Ben Stokes and Joe Root.
The haul was his 13th away Test five‑for, surpassing Kapil Dev’s record.
Additionally, he equalled Wasim Akram for the most five‑wicket hauls by an Asian in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) venues—11 in total
India’s captain, Shubman Gill, boldly challenged the umpires over ball condition at Lord’s—twice in the same session. His animated and persistent protest made waves, prompting a rare second replacement and sparking broader debate about ball quality in contemporary Test cricket.
