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The Ashes | Chris Woakes leaning on 'good' Australian bounce with Kookaburra ball to succeed

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England’s Chris Woakes has said that the Kookaburra is pretty different from the Dukes ball that is used in England. The Kookaburra balls provide less swing in comparison to the Dukes. 

"The Kookaburra is very different to the Dukes and what we're used to back home," Woakes said on Thursday in Brisbane. 

But the right-hander also admitted that the unit comprises experienced customers who have played on Australian soil before. "We have a good amount of experience from guys who have been here before. We touch base with those guys to see what's worked in the past."

Woakes further talked about the challenges that the England bowlers might encounter while using the Kookaburra. 

“It's about trying to experiment. Getting the ball to move sideways is probably the biggest challenge," Woakes said. "Trying to work different things, like how we hold it. Trying to get the ball to move off the straight is quite important."

While the right-handed cricketer revealed the issues, he also admitted that the bowlers can rely on extracting extra bounce that the Australian pitches have on offer.

"You do get a good bounce here. Trying to extract that as much as possible. Naturally, you bowl a little shorter here but you don't want to be drawn into bowling too short. [It's about] trying to utilise that bounce."

The Ashes series is slated to begin on December 8 in Brisbane.  

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