Who first developed the cricket ball?
History does not give us a name for this person. We know that the balls used in the 18th century looked much like the ones we use now.
We know Duke and Sons was the first company to get a royal patent for making these balls. So, they were the first ones to make a lot of things.
Initial Fabrication of Cricket Balls
King George IV gave that royal patent to Duke and Sons in 1775. For the first time in 1780, they used a six-seam ball, and Duke’s cricket balls are still used today.
Cricket balls with six seams
Before the Second World War, Dukes was the most popular brand worldwide. Starting in the late 1940s, the Kookaburra name started to stand out and win big contracts in Australia.
Who Makes Cricket Balls?
Many places make cricket balls, but only a few are allowed to make balls for the professional game. Kookaburra is one of them. It is an Australian brand that was first used only by the Australian Cricket Board. Kookaburra balls are used most often in ODI, T20, and Test matches in Australia and most other countries that play cricket.
This general rule is broken in two critical ways: The Duke’s cricket ball is used at every level of professional play in England. In India, on the other hand, the SG ball is used more often.
Interestingly, the Duke’s cricket ball is the oldest ever made. It used to be owned by the Duke family and made by them, but now it’s made by the British Cricket Balls Limited.
All the balls are the same because they all have to follow the same rules about their size and weight. The seam on the Kookaburra ball tends to come apart after about 20 to 30 overs, which is one difference. So, it can stop swinging quite quickly, and it can be challenging for the spinners to get a hold of it.
On the other hand, the seam on the Duke’s ball lasts longer, making it a better choice for seam and swing bowlers. Last but not least, the SG ball is almost always used in India. It loses its shine pretty quickly, which is why spinners like it while seamers don’t get much out of the swing.
Professional Cricket Uses Various Types of Cricket Balls
You can’t play cricket without a ball, which is a critical piece of gear. The cricket ball has a complicated design, and because it has a seam around its circumference, it’s not entirely round.
Even though there are differences in color and who makes the balls, every match ball has to meet specific standards. There are some exceptions for younger players who are practicing or learning the game, but all balls have to follow the rules in a fun way.
Leather Red Balls
The first ball was red, and for many years, that was the only ball used in all games. Red balls are now only used for first class and test cricket games during the day.
The process starts with the cork center, then the tightly wound string, and finally the red leather case that has been dyed. Most of the time, red balls last longer, and their color makes it easier for umpires and players to find them.
Leather White Balls
All limited overs matches around the world now use the white cricket ball. Whether a 50-over match lasts one day or a Twenty20 game, the white ball is the official ball. In the beginning, white balls were used for one-day games played under floodlights because they were easier to see than the usual red balls.
Things have changed over time, and now all limited overs games use white leather balls, no matter what time of day they are played.
The process for making white cricket balls is the same as for making red ones, but white balls tend to behave differently. At the beginning of a match, the white balls swing around more, but this starts to change quickly. White balls can also break down more quickly; after 30–40 overs, they can get dirty and make it hard to see.
Because of these things, there was a change to the rules for ODI cricket. At the start of the 50-Over innings, the team in the field now has two new balls. These balls should be split between each end, and the square leg umpire keeps them when they aren’t used.
Conclusion
It’s interesting to see how the cricket ball had changed from when it was first made to the present day. The game keeps improving, and as new things are added, we’ve seen that we need new colored balls.
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