Chemistry of the playable ball

A s India head to Australia for another searing examination of their skills away from home, an important aspect of the game — the ball — is at the centre of discussions.
India's Ishant Sharma (Photo | File/AP)
India's Ishant Sharma (Photo | File/AP)

As India head to Australia for another searing examination of their skills away from home, an important aspect of the game — the ball — is at the centre of discussions. Australian coach Justin Langer has blamed the unresponsive pitches for teams tampering with the ball. Since no other sport, perhaps, is more susceptible to manipulations from outside elements than cricket is, this is an important issue to contend with.

Not just tampering by the players but the quality and brand of the ball itself impacts its behaviour. In most other sports, the weather, atmospheric conditions, the surface you play on and equipment play a role, but not as significant and decisive as in cricket. Among the game’s many accessories that join hands to produce a rich tapestry of skilful encounters is its main component: the round, leather ball.

Since the amount of swing and turn a bowler can extract depends on the quality, shape and condition of the ball, cricketers have from time immemorial discovered ways and means to tamper with it in order to gain maximum advantage from it. From this once being very common and almost non-punishable, to the present laws to prevent this practice, the game has come a long way. Yet the controversies surrounding it never die and the ball remains at the centre of many discussions.

The latest is which manufacturer’s product should be used in international cricket to help improve the quality of the contest. At present three types of balls are used in international and domestic cricket. India prefers home-made SG balls in longer formats and white Kookaburra balls made in Australia for limited-overs. Most other countries play with Kookaburra, barring England and West Indies, who use Dukes made in England.

Since these balls do not behave in a uniform fashion — Dukes swings and seams more, Kookaburra not as much and SG is now being condemned even by Indians. For obvious reasons, most cricketers want, especially the Tests, to be played with Dukes balls. The question is, why not the Indian SG, which are similar to Dukes in texture and design? Why would the India captain Virat Kohli make a public pronouncement, endorsing Dukes and rejecting SG?

Well, the answer may lie in the lack of standardisation worldwide and difficulty in adjusting to the balls in different conditions. The Indian experience with SG at the international level is not bad, if one goes by results at home. However, there are complaints that its seam dies down after the initial overs, the shine vanishes and the ball becomes soft, leaving bowlers frustrated.

Since Indian bowlers performed exceptionally well with Dukes in England, they want to play with the same ball at home as well.

That would also help their batsmen be better prepared for their next England visit. There is, no doubt, a need for uniformity, but that is easier said than done in a game so dependant on external conditions like cricket. The Dukes ball may not swing as much on abrasive Indian wickets and humid conditions as they do in England.

And then there is the question, that too in present times, where “make in India” is the new slogan, that should a foreign make be used, dumping an Indian company with decades of manufacturing experience? Also to be taken into account is the price, as an SG ball costs almost one fourth of a Dukes. The shift will affect the game in general as not one-fourth in India is sponsored by the cash-rich Indian board.These are questions to ponder in the impossible search for uniformity in as diverse and complex a sport as cricket.

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The New Indian Express
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