One of the most revered brands in cricket Kookaburra have unveiled a ball today (Sunday, July 8) specifically for T20 cricket and plan to introduce it to international and franchise cricket in two years’ time.

The specialty of the ball – named Turf20 – is that it remains harder than and lasts longer than the usual ball. As a result, this could be favourable for the batters while the prouder seam could also help the bowlers.

The main goal of the ball is to not deteriorate over time – like it does in Test cricket. For this, they have tested the ball with an air cannon and wind tunnel and have also “blind” tested it in the Northern Territory Strike tournament.

Kookaburra plans to test it for the next 18 months before finally launching the ball officially in 2020.

"As Twenty20 cricket evolved, Kookaburra thought there should be a way to create a ball specific to its needs rather than follow the traditional method of ball-making that is used in Test cricket,'' Kookaburra spokesman Shannon Gill said.

"A Test ball is designed to gradually deteriorate over 80 overs, this is an integral element to Test cricket. Twenty20 cricket has evolved quite differently; the ball is only needed for 20 overs and the action is more intense and explosive than Test cricket. This means gradual deterioration is not as big a factor, instead a ball that meets the demands of the power hitting game has been created," he added.

He also added that the players have given their feedback on the ball, stating that while they didn’t notice much difference, the hardness of the ball was commendable.

"In follow-up feedback, the players responded they did not notice any difference to the way the ball played as far as bounce and speed, but there were comments on the improved hardness of the ball through the 20 overs," he noted.