THE Jamaica cricket team has come out in support of the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB’s) decision to revert to the Kookaburra ball, which has been used since captains, officials and hardcore cricket watchers complained about the quality of the Venom ball used in the first round of the regional four-day competition in early January.

The Venom ball was reportedly brought in to help alleviate expenses for the cash-strapped Board’s 2010 regional season as it costs approximately US $20 less than the Australian- made Kookaburra.

Despite the fact that the regional body will have to dig deeper in their pockets to supply the Kookaburra balls for the rest of the tournament, Jamaica’s coach Junior Bennett felt the change is a move in the right direction.

“The change made a vast difference. Even the fast bowlers I saw really coming into their own because the ball lasted more than 80 overs and kept its shape. That was really a positive change.”

The back-to-back title-holders are in the driver’s seat to snatch a record-breaking third victory in as many years after they beat the Windwards Islands on home soil and then moved on to the Eastern Caribbean where they defeated both the Leeward Islands and Guyana.

While spinners Nikita Miller and Odean Brown have accounted for 35 wickets between them in the three games to date, Jamaica have benefitted from the strong bowling performances of all-rounder David Bernard Jr, who has captured 14 wickets — 12 since the re-introduction of the Kookaburra ball.

He believes the change in the ball helped him to be more penetrative in Jamaica’s previous match against the Guyanese where he took six wickets in the second innings.

“It won’t deteriorate like the Venom ball did, so that means as a bowler you get more out of it and it was just a case of that in the Guyana game

“It was a flat wicket and not much was happening. But with this (Kookaburra) ball you could shine it and it was hard enough so what the pitch didn’t offer, I tried to get it out of the ball,” Bernard Jr told the Observer.

He added: “Obviously the Kookaburra is of a better quality and it lasts longer. It (the Venom ball) loses sheen quickly and it doesn’t hold its shape for very long as opposed to the Kookaburra ball, which maintains its shape over a longer period.”

Many have also argued that since the Kookaburra ball is used on the international scene, then it is important that the WICB tries to use equipment which is as close as possible to the ones used at the highest level.

Captain Tamar Lambert is also fully behind the Board’s new measure.

“The Kookaburra ball is a much better ball. The seam stands up for a longer period of time and we bowled it for 95 overs and the seam was still high with good carry through to the wicketkeeper,” he said.

“With the Venom, after six or seven overs it gets twisted, so it was a good thing that the West Indies Cricket Board changed the ball and you can see it has started to pay dividends for the fast bowlers,” he added.