The physics behind the shine on a cricket ball

Gulf News

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Transcript

00:00Just to give it a little perspective, this is a ball which has got a bit of a shine.

00:04Not exactly a new ball, maybe about 1 or 2 overs old, where with a bit of your sweat

00:12you can bring the shine back onto the ball.

00:15What happens is every ball the bowler bowls, either he wants to bring the ball in or he

00:20wants to bring the ball out.

00:21So every time the ball pitches on the ground, one side is going to get affected and the

00:25other side they keep shining the ball.

00:27So it will become something like this.

00:30So one side will slowly get the rough and the other side will be shiny.

00:34By the way, the autograph here is of the legendary Shane Wan.

00:38So I am honoured to hold that ball.

00:42So one side is shiny and the other side is rough.

00:44So what happens is, just to illustrate, by holding the seam like this, facing the third

00:51man, because I am talking from a right handed batsman perspective.

00:56So this way, when the bowler is bowling an out swing, this is the way you bowl.

01:01And if you have to bowl an in swing, the shine is on the outside and the seam is pointing

01:04towards the fine leg and you bring the ball in.

01:06Basically the ball swings towards the rough side.

01:09Yes, basically initially to start with, the shine will take the ball towards that part.

01:14When you throw the ball, its crosses are very fast and this ball is rough, it has more traction

01:24with the end.

01:25So then that side the ball swings, right?

01:27Ball swings, correct.

01:28Absolutely, you are right.

01:29So this happens initially about 15-20 overs, there will be shine, this ball maybe for 15-20

01:35overs you can use it, you can keep shining.

01:38The saliva is gone, now we are using the sweat.

01:41So slowly this side.

01:42Which side bowlers use saliva?

01:44This side, the one which is shiny.

01:46This is the side you use.

01:47Why do they use the saliva?

01:48Saliva, because only with the, how will you shine it?

01:51The ball becomes like this.

01:52Even here, if I use my sweat or saliva, you can bring back this condition.

01:57But you wanted to do this because you wanted to differentiate and bring the ball more,

02:02to increase the swing of the ball.

02:04Basically for the swing.

02:05Swing, basically.

02:06Even for the swimmers.

02:07So what's the change now?

02:08See, instead of saliva, you have to use sweat.

02:11So sweat is slightly heavier than saliva.

02:14So as you use sweat, this side becomes a bit heavier.

02:18But the shine will be the same, but it will become heavier.

02:21But with saliva, when the balance is even, and after 30 overs, more rough comes into

02:27the side, and if this is the in-swing I bowl, but at a good pace, when the rough is more

02:34predominant on the other side, as the ball is going, suddenly there is a drag force and

02:40takes the ball away.

02:41So what difference it will make, Satish, if now bowlers are not allowed to use saliva?

02:46The reverse swing will not be as predominant as it used to be when there is, slightly disadvantage

02:55to the bowlers.

02:56That's what is the biggest disadvantage.

03:00And again, it also comes, the shine also comes into play for the spinners as well.

03:04As an off spinner, you bowl the ball, this is the spin you impart.

03:09But what happens is, with the shine, it keeps drifting, and then comes, pitches and comes

03:13in.

03:14So you can fool the batsman, because everything, the batsman is looking at the angle, the target,

03:18how it's happening.

03:19So once it is going, he might think that the ball is going away.

03:22So he might try to play that way, that the ball comes in, so you make him do that slight

03:29error in judgment.

03:30Will it make difference with the use of saliva on the red ball, white ball, pink ball?

03:36If you look at the texture of the ball, it's different.

03:38This is different, the white ball is different, the pink ball is different, the red ball is

03:41different.

03:42Yes, on all three balls, if you look at, of course, these are all not the high quality

03:46ones.

03:47This is the SG test one.

03:49So there is a slight disadvantage, like when you use saliva, there is no problem with that,

03:55because that's how it used to be.

03:56There is no alteration in the balance, the balance remains the same.

04:00That's not allowed anymore.

04:01Yeah, it's not allowed anymore.

04:02So the sweat will make it slightly heavier on the other side.

04:06So but I'm sure over a period of time, the bowlers will get used to bowling with the

04:11sweat on, and they will be able to control it.

04:14You mean to say that bowlers need to work harder to swing the ball?

04:17Yes.

04:18Especially when it's old.

04:19Correct.

04:20See, just to prove a point, this part is a little rough.

04:24I use my sweat.

04:27And then I start rubbing with my nice shiny trousers or something like that.

04:35Then it starts getting like this, the same way.

04:37You can bring the ball back to its shine like this.

04:41But the bowlers prefer to keep one side rough.

04:45Rough.

04:46Yeah.

04:47Because that helps them in the reverse swing, because that's where, see as a batsman, when

04:50I'm as a batsman starting here, if I see the shine on the other side, I know the bowler

04:55is going to bowl an in-swinger.

04:56If the shine is on the outside, I know the bowler is bowling an out-swinger.

04:59So will it make a difference for spinners also, with the use of saliva if they win?

05:03Yes.

05:04But not much.

05:05Not much for the spinners.

05:06Because the swing is, there is a swing more than the spin and the drift.

05:10So it's the same.

05:11And again, what happens is, the reason why we have to keep shining one side is, the bowler,

05:16batsman, this is the way the bowler comes in, and the batsman might think the ball is

05:20coming in-swingers, but with the reverse swing, the last minute it goes out, then you get

05:26into a false shot.

05:27That's where the bowlers use the...

05:29Basically, I would say, Satish, that you can still use sweat.

05:35It's not a big difference.

05:38I think the decision is more concerned about hygiene.

05:40Absolutely.

05:41It's a hygienic issue, because when you sweat, they put the two fingers here, and then they

05:46rub it, and then the ball is on the ground, and they pick it up, and they do it again.

05:49Yeah, again, like with the COVID scenario, I think...

05:51It's more hygienic.

05:52And, of course, it also stops people from using, as we spoke about, the gums and the

05:57sweet candies.

05:58That gives an extra added advantage.

06:00So this makes it a level playing field.

06:03Of course, the bowlers, the fast bowlers especially, are at a slight disadvantage.

06:07I'm sure they will learn.

06:08They will have to work around it.

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