A dangerously hard ball of cork and leather, employed in the game of cricket. A dreadful little pill, that in the wrong hands, can cause injury and death to players.
"The ball, when new, shall weigh not less than 5.5 ounces/155.9 g, nor more than 5.75 ounces/163 g, and shall measure not less than 8.81 in/22.4 cm, nor more than 9 in/22.9 cm in circumference."
—Laws of Cricket
Traditionally made with a red leather cover, the cricket ball is a formidable thing. With a circumference of 23 centimetres (diameter 7.32 centimetres, or 2.8 inches) and a weight of between 142 and 149 grams (5 ounces) WHile its density is quite a bit less than a baseball (0.81 gcm³, compared o the baseball's 1.1g/cm³, the cover of the cricket ball does seem to be harder than the baseball's, and many are the fingers I've seen broken during a catch attempt, and a fast cricket ball to the face will almost certainly result in a painful fracture, not to mention that a cricket ball to the goolies will result in severe pain and bruising at the very least.
Major manufacturers are Dukes in Britain, Sanspareils Greenlands in India, and Kookaburra in Australia. Ball colour these days is variable. White balls are often used in one-day matches, which often end being played under artificial light, when a white ball may be used. Apparently, pink balls have also been used to provide some contrast with the tradiional white garb worn by cricket players.
I will discuss the construction and manufacture of this weapon later, but meanwhile for US readers, some statistics on speed. A fast bowler can bowl at over 95mph (150 kph) and the ball can leave the bat at speeds of 90-100 mph (or up to 160kph). A close fielder can therefore be attempting to catch a tiny but fearsome missile with little warning (and usually, bare hands). There exists a fielding position called "silly mid-on", which is around ten feet from the strike batsman and in the direct line of fire, giving the poor fielder very little reaction time. No wonder it bears the name silly.
Construction and manufacture
The core of the ball is, oddly enough, cork. This is wound about with worsted twine and finally covered with thick leather. Top-quality, "match" balls are finished with four pieces of leather sewn together with an equatorial seam. "Practice" balls are more cheaply made, using two hemispheres of leather with a similarly equatorial seam. This seam is an important feature as it provides resistance while during the delivery, using air resistance and friction as the ball bounces during the delivery. Skilled bolers can use this to render the delivery more difficult for the batsman. It's well beyond the scope of this writeup to discuss the various delivery types, so I encourage you to do your own research. You Tube has some excellent videos on the topic and I did discover a witty look at bowling here on E2. Suffice to say that spin bowlers impart a rotation to the ball and deliver it in a way that the seam provides friction with the ground. Fast bowlers may also employ spin, but with the intention of causing the ball to swing in the air rather than on contact with the ground.
The Laws regarding the ball
Yes, cricket doesn't just have Rules, it has Laws. It's a serious business, this sport.
4.1 Weight and size
The ball, when new, shall weigh not less than 5.5 ounces/155.9 g, nor more than 5.75 ounces/163 g, and shall measure not less than 8.81 in/22.4 cm, nor more than 9 in/22.9 cm in circumference.
4.2 Approval and control of balls
4.2.1 All balls to be used in the match, having been determined by the umpires, shall be in the possession of the umpires before the toss and shall remain under their control throughout the match.
4.2.2 The umpire shall take possession of the ball in use at the fall of each wicket, at the start of any interval and at any interruption of play.
4.3 New ball
Unless an agreement to the contrary has been made before the match, either captain may demand a new ball at the start of each innings.
4.4 New ball in match of more than one day’s duration
In a match of more than one day’s duration, the captain of the fielding side may demand a new ball when the number of overs, excluding any part overs, bowled with the old one is equal to or greater than 80 overs. The umpire shall inform the other umpire and indicate to the batters and the scorers whenever a new ball is taken into play.
4.5 Ball lost or becoming unfit for play
If, during play, the ball cannot be found or recovered or the umpires agree that it has become unfit for play through normal use, the umpires shall replace it with a ball which has had wear comparable with that which the previous ball had received before the need for its replacement. When the ball is replaced, the umpire shall inform the batters and the fielding captain.
4.6 Specifications
The specifications as described in 4.1 shall apply to men’s cricket only. The following specifications shall apply to:
4.6.1 Women’s cricket
Weight: from 4.94 ounces/140 g to 5.31 ounces/151 g
Circumference: from 8.25 in/21.0 cm to 8.88 in/22.5 cm.
4.6.2 Junior cricket – Under 13
Weight: from 4.69 ounces/133 g to 5.06 ounces/144 g
Circumference: from 8.06 in/20.5 cm to 8.69 in/22.0 cm.
© Marylebone Cricket Club 2017
I recall attending a first-class County Match at Trent Bridge during which the batsman struck the ball over the boundary and into the stands (a "six", scoring six runs). The ball was apparently caught by (as I recall) an American tourist, who, delighted with his prowess, claimed the ball as his prize, unaware of Law 4.2.1, which dictates that the same ball is under the control of the umpires, and must therefore remain in play. It still causes me pain to watch a baseball game and see that balls caught in the crowd are kept as souvenirs. It just seems wrong to me at every level, such is the power of Law 4. The story ended sadly for the poor American, who was mobbed by the crowd, publicly chastisted by the umpires, and finally escorted from the ground, but only after he reluctantly relinquished the ball. Itcaused quite a stir and made the local radio news, because "it's just not cricket" to behave in such am ungentle way. He's doubtless still telling his tale of how the Brits abused him, and how cricket is an appalling sport. He is more to be pitied than scolded, I understand. Poor chap, I'd buy him a beer as consolation.
In the way that the cricket bat can be used as a weapon, the cricket ball has other uses. School Sports Day at my boarding school included the feat of "throwing the ball", a feat of hurling the pill as far as possible a lighyweight version of putting the shot, the distance measured from feet to bounce. I was a duffer at this.
I hinted earlier at death and injury, and whilst I have never witnessed death, have seen broken fingers, lost teeth, cracked ribs and the fracture of a cheekbone. I personally suffered a couple of dislocated fingers and a nasty scalp graze, both suffered at the fielding position of silly mid-off. I am unsurprised that Wikipedia has an article entitled
List of fatal accidents in cricket,among which is the case of
Frederick, Prince of Wales, who allegedly died of complications after being hit by a cricket ball, and there's a famous story of bowling used as a weapon in the
BodyLIne Series No-one died in that instance, but Australians have a long memory and I've witnessed many vicious pub arguments that almost descended into
fistcuffs.
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