Cricket Balls
- Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. A cricket ball consists of a cork core wound with string then a leather cover stitched on, and manufacture is regulated by cricket law at first-class level. The trajectory of a cricket ball when bowled, through movement in the air, and off the ground, is influenced by the action of the bowler and the condition of the ball and the pitch, while working on the cricket ball to obtain optimal condition is a key role of the fielding side. The principal method through which the batter scores runs is by hitting the ball, with the bat, into a position where it would be safe to take a run, or by directing the ball through or over the boundary. Cricket balls are harder and heavier than baseballs.
Colour
Cricket balls are traditionally red, and red balls are used in Test cricket and First-class cricket but proposals to introduce other colours date back at least as early as 1937.
White Ball
White balls were introduced when one-day matches began being played at night under floodlights, as they are
more visible at night; all professional one-day matches are now played with white balls, even when they are not played at night. The white balls have been found to behave differently from the red balls:[citation needed] most notably, they swing a lot more during the first half of an innings than the red balls, and they deteriorate more quickly. Manufacturers claim that white and red balls are manufactured using the same methods and materials, other than the dyeing of the leather. Another pro
blem associated with white cricket balls used in One Day Internationals is that they quickly become dirty or dull in colour, which makes it more difficult for batters to sight the ball after 30–40 overs of use.
Pink balls
Pink balls were developed in the 2000s to enable Tests and first-class
matches played at night. The red ball is unsuited to night tests due to poor visibility, and the white ball is unsuited to first-class cricket because it deteriorates rapidly and cannot be used for eighty overs as specified in the rules, also the white ball colour would clash with the traditional white clothes worn. The pink ball was designed to provide a satisfactory compromise on these issues. It is still considered more difficult to see than a white ball; and the leather is more heavily dyed than a red ball, which better preserves its colour and visibility as it wears but also gives it slightly different wear characteristics. It has performed well enough in testing and first-class cricket to be approved for use in international cricket.
Dangers of cricket balls
Cricket balls are hard and potentially lethal, so most of today's batters and close fielders often wear protective equipment. Cricket ball injuries are fairly frequent, including eye (with some players having lost eyes), head and face, finger and toe, teeth and testicular injuries.
In 1998, Indian cricketer Raman Lamba died when a cricket ball hit his head in a club match in Dhaka. Lamba was fielding at forward short leg without a helmet when a ball struck by batter Mehrab Hossain hit him on the head and rebounded to wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud.
A cricket umpire, Alcwyn Jenkins, died in 2009 in Swansea, Wales after being hit on the head by a ball thrown by a fielder.
On 27 October 2013, South African cricketer Darryn Randall died after being hit on the head by the ball while batting. He collapsed immediately and was rushed to the Victoria Hospital in rural Alice, but the medical staff could not revive him.[citation needed]
In November 2014, Australia and South Australia batter Phillip Hughes died at the age of 25 at a Sydney hospital after he was hit on the side of the neck by a bouncer bowled by Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield game.The same week, Hillel Oscar, an umpire and former captain of Israel's national cricket team, died after being hit in the neck by a ball
Younger players often use either tennis balls or an air-filled plastic 'windball' for safety reasons before using the 'hard' cricket ball after a certain age: windball cricket is also a popular sport in its own right. They might also use an 'IncrediBall' or an 'Aeroball' whilst making the step between windballs and 'hard' cricket balls. These balls are designed to mimic the feel, speed and bounce of a regular hard ball, but soften when coming in contact with objects at high speed, reducing the risk of injury.
Leave a comment