Interesting Facts about Cricket Ball

“All study and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Sports and games are something that calm our minds, rejuvenate our day, and, most importantly, boost our confidence. Well, if we talk about favorite sports, which is your favorite sport? According to a report, The most loving sport is cricket, followed by football. Indeed, no discussion is complete without mentioning cricket. They are the essential ingredient in the recipe discussion of sports. It may have been the national game of England since the early 18th century, but today it is the second most popular sport, with a fan following of more than 2.5 Billion.

The form of cricket includes ODIs, Test Matches, World Cup series, and Twenty20s. Thus it can be said that cricket has been immensely popularized among the people over the years, which is why it has evolved over time. Due to its high popularity and love for cricket, it has made its way to the online gaming Industry in the form of Fantasy Cricket or e-Cricket. Every sport must be played with rules, ethics, and discipline. That’s why many practices are maintained in this system. Over time, many changes have been made in rules and regulations, similarly in the case of equipment, more importantly in cricket ball and bat. If you are a real cricket enthusiast and have a secret affair with cricket, then here we present some interesting facts about a cricket ball.

Interesting Facts about Cricket Ball

Manufacturing units of balls : Manufacturing units of cricket balls across the world at present are three sports equipment brands in supply of cricket balls all over the World.

a) Kookaburra: It is an Australian-based company well known for cricket and hockey gear. If you are considering some of the best balls around the world, you can contact kookaburra.

b) SG or Sanspareils Greenland: This is a well-known Indian brand with its headquarters in Meerut. It holds outstanding specialization in cricket gears. But if you focus on test matches, countries like England, West Indies, and Ireland opt for the British brand, Dukes ball. India favors the balls of SG. If you consider other countries, they go for Kookaburra. The performance of cricket balls varies between different manufacturers. For example, if you think about the property of swing-in balls, Kookaburra balls are more minor swings than Dukes’ balls.

c) Dukes : These are the products of the British Cricket Balls Ltd.

Laws : According to the laws of cricket, it is illegal to rub any substance on the ball except for saliva and sweat. However, in the year 2018, During the third Test match against South Africa at New lands in CapeTown, Cameron Bancroft was caught by cameras when he was trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to swing in flight. Captain Steve Smith and David Warner werewere found guilty of this illegal activity. They received an unprecedented sanction from cricket Australia.

Ball-tampering : In the year 1929, this Ball-Tampering phrase was quite common, and it was a general term used in the US for baseball. Another name is Spitball. The Spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by applying foreign substances like saliva and petroleum jelly. This technique helps to generate wind Resistance and weight on one side of the ball. This feature helps the cricket ball to move in an atypical manner. It may also cause the ball to slip out of the pitcher’s fingers without the usual spin accompanying a pitch.

Prince of Wales : Another one is related to the Prince of Wales, Frederick. He died because of complications due to the hit of the cricket ball. In the past, it has been attributed to a burst lung abscess caused by a blow from cricket or an absolute tennis ball.

Cricket Umpire : In 2009, cricket umpire Alcwyn Jenkins died after a fielder hit him in the head. The ball was hit on the head’s right side, which caused him a severe injury, and unfortunately, he couldn’t survive the impactful blow.

Standard Determining Details : When any ball is constructed in the UK is specified by British Standard BS 5993. What is BS 5993? The specifications were published on 15 January 2005 and confirmed on 1 October 2012. It was another rarely known and fascinating fact about cricket balls.

Unlawful things : Every game has specific rules and regulations, and no one is above the ethics and rules of any game. It is very unlawful to stroke the ball on the ground, and you cannot scuff the ball with any sharp object (such as fingernails or pick at or lift the seam of the ball). Ball-tampering is also included in this list because it alters the condition of the ball using artificial substances like lip balm or by rubbing it on the ground, scuffing it with a sharp object or fingernail, or tampering with the seam of the ball. If you suppose your ball has been tampered with, one side gets rough, and it becomes convenient for the bowler to move the ball in the air.

Constitution of Ball : The cricket ball consists of a core cork. The core cork is layered with tightly wound string, and it is covered with a leather case that has a slightly raised sewn seam. The inner core of the rubber is generally made up of rubber-like material.

Well, the rubber-like material is nothing but mixed rubber and cork. It is the inner core of the ball which makes it challenging, tough, and durable. I hope you got a clear-cut idea of the constituents of the ball, the durability of the ball, and what makes it unique among other balls !!

Seam : The seam of the ball consists of six rows of stitching. The ball’s equator is stitched with string to form the ball’s prominent seam with six-row stitches. These six rows of stitching allow the ball to outshine some unique qualities and thus help determine swing, cut, and spin. These stitches also held in joining the two halves of the cricket ball.

Swing : The reason behind the air turbulence is the seam which results in the swing. Swing bowling involves the use of newer balls that have been slightly worn. The bowling side can be continuously polished by using saliva and sweat to it as well as rubbing it against the clothing to shine while the other side of the ball remains and shined. The speed of the airflow over the ball’s rough and smooth side causes the ball to move in flight towards the rough side and away from the shiny side.

Also Read This => Facts About The T20 Cricket