Do Cricket Balls Float? (The Scientific Explanation)
In the world of a cricket game, the cricket ball plays a critical role in helping the teams win. That’s why each participating countries are meticulous in choosing the right brand of a cricket ball for every match. Officials carefully consider the ball’s composition, which must meet the pitching condition of each country. Yet, one of the crucial things in cricket is when the ball bowls in the air, which leads to some fans asking, “Do cricket balls float?”
A cricket ball floats in the air and on the water. The ball can float in the air using the technique used by Jasprit Bumrah during one of his games. On the other hand, the cricket ball floats in water because it’s less dense than water.
To understand the principle behind the reasons why a cricket ball floats in the air and on the water, continue reading this post. Yet, I include other information about the cricket ball, such as the weight, composition, and the best brands you can count on.
Contents
Do cricket balls float?
A cricket ball floats in water because its density is lower than the water’s density. It is supported by the Archimedes Principle stating that objects float when their mass is equal to the weight of the displaced water. Based on the data, the displaced water is 5.8 ounces (163 g), which is the same as the ball’s weight.
Ball in water
A cricket ball floats in water because of two reasons. The first reason is that the cricket ball’s density is lower than the density of water surrounding it. The second reason is based on the Archimedes Principle, which states that an object floats when the weight of the water it displaced is equal to its mass.
A cricket ball has a density of 107.08 ounces/gallon (802 kg/m3), while water’s density is 133.52 ounces/gallon (1000 kg/m3). It means that the ball is less dense than the water, so it will float. On the other hand, to prove that this is correct, I validate it using the Archimedes Principle. I calculate the displaced volume of the cricket ball using the density, mass, and volume of the cricket ball and the density of water. The answer I got is 5.8 ounces (163 g), which is the same as the weight of the standard size cricket ball.
Ball in air
According to the cricket player Jasprit Bumrah, the float-like effect that happened during one of his games is due to the slower yorker he bowled. Yet, he added that the amount of reverse swing contributes to the float-like effect.
Read also: Are Cricket Balls Bad for Dogs? (Tips & Warnings)
How heavy is a cricket ball?
According to Lords.org, a cricket ball must weigh between 5.5 ounces (155.9g) to 5.75 ounces (163 g) when it’s new. Its circumference must fall between 8.81 in (22.4 cm) and 9 in (22.9 cm). The weight is based on the Cricket Law that all event types follow. An umpire determines the ball size used in the match.
The standard size I mentioned is for the men’s category.
When compared to baseball, a cricket ball is denser than a baseball. A baseball weighs between 5 ounces (142 g) to 5/5.25 ounces (149 g) with a circumference between 9in (23cm) to 9.25 in (23.5 cm).
Women’s cricket and Junior cricket use different sets of balls. In Women’s cricket, the ball weighs between 4.94 ounces (140 g) to 5.31 ounces (151 g) with a circumference between 8.25 in (21.0 cm) to 8.88 in (22.5 cm). On the other hand, Junior cricket’s ball weighs from 4.69 ounces (133 g) to 5.06 ounces (144 g) with a circumference between 8.06 in (20.5 cm) to 8.69 in (22.0 cm).
Read also: Is Cricket an Easy Sport? (The Real Truth Revealed)
What is a cricket ball made of?
A cricket ball is made of leather, cork, and string. The cork serves as the core of the ball while a string wraps it. Then it is wrapped with either red or white leather. The leather wrap comes in two-piece and four-piece, but the weight of the ball is the same.
Red and white balls
Red balls are used during high-standard games such as Test matches and First-Class cricket. It’s the traditional ball color for the cricket game. However, the red ball is not ideal for night Test matches because of its poor visibility. So white balls are introduced for single-day games, which is favorable for night matches. Yet, the white ball’s downside is it wears out faster than the red ball.
Two-piece and four-piece
The leather construction of a red ball falls into two categories such as two-piece and four-piece. A cricket ball with two-piece leather means that two leather sheets are stitched together to cover the cork. However, it’s not as durable as the four-piece. On the other hand, the four-piece cricket ball has four leather pieces creating quadrants. It is considered a Grade A ball, which is long-lasting with lesser swing than the two-piece ball.
Kookabura vs Dukes vs SG
The Cricket Law only allows brands such as Kookaburra, Dukes, and SG to be used for test matches. Kookaburra is used in Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, while England and West Indies use Dukes. The SG brand is used in India.
Kookaburra’s stitching is a combination of hand-stitch and machine-stitch. This brand has six seams. Australia and South Africa prefer using this brand because of the bouncy pitches, which the brand delivers. The ball has a swing like the other brands, and it bounces off the track when the seam starts to wear. The bouncing off that the ball provides helps the pacers for breakthroughs.
Duke’s brand is an all-hand-stitch ball with six seams. England and West Indies prefer using this brand due to the swing bowling. It tends to swing more and compliments the player’s pitches. Unlike Kookaburra which wears faster, Dukes retains its seam and shape.
SG brand can withstand the hard pitches of the Indian teams. Even up to 60 over, the ball retains its hardness and can bounce more. Similar to Dukes, it’s an all-hand-stitch ball with six seams. However, the seam is more pronounced, providing more grip to the spinners, which gives more revolutions on the cricket ball.
My Favorite Cricket Equipment
Thanks for reading this article. I hope it brought you value that you can implement into your own life! Below you can find my favorite cricket equipment that I think you’ll like!
- Bat: My favorite cricket bat is the SS Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat, perfect for leather balls, beginners, and intermediate players. I’m not a competitive cricket player, so this affordable yet fantastic bat gets the job done. The best things about it are the blade size, weight, durability, and overall feel.
- Cricket balls: Pro Impact Cricket Balls are the creme of cricket balls. These balls are even fit for professional cricket matches, so the quality is incredible. For intermediate and better players, these balls are great. However, a traditional leather cricket ball may be hard to play for beginners and juniors. That’s why balls such as Nivia Hard Tennis Balls are made for cricket.
- Cricket shoes: Are you tired of focusing on your every step and fearing which step you will slip? When using the Kookaburra Pro 300 Cricket Shoes, you can forget all of that. These shoes are comfortable and slip-resistant; however, they won’t slow your movement on the field.
- Fan Equipment: If you’re a fan more than a player, you don’t want to miss Fan Equipment by Fanatics. You can find items from various sports that bear your favorite team’s logo, such as jerseys, gift ideas, or other surprising things.