Cricket: Can someone explain..

[Diesel]

...why/how the 'conditions' make such a big difference to how the ball 'behaves'?

Sounds like a load of nonsense to me.

[Imploding Turtle]

[SammyBoy]

The ball turns and bounces differently dependent on what condition the pitch is in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_pitch

[UpTheBeehole]

...why/how the 'conditions' make such a big difference to how the ball 'behaves'?

Sounds like a load of nonsense to me.

If it's raining it gets right wet and becomes all slippery.

[RocketLawnChair]

If it's raining it gets right wet and becomes all slippery.

He's talking about cricket not your blow up doll..

[UpTheBeehole]

Their helmets get all wet too.

[thatdberight]

...why/how the 'conditions' make such a big difference to how the ball 'behaves'?

Sounds like a load of nonsense to me.

A ball bouncing on hard ground will bounce differently than a ball bouncing on wetter ground. Also the amount and height of any grass on the pitch will affect that bounce.

You've then got the difference in how the ball deteriorates physically through that process. This changes it and therefore further interactions with anything it touches including not just the pitch but also the bowler's hand.

On the other side, you have the still not entirely understood way the ball travels through the air which makes it swing; again moisture playing a large part in that.

Finally, in this series the ball will behave differently depending on which team's batting; regularly taking itself off to the boundary while Australia bat and more frequently hitting the stumps when they aren't.

[Sausage]

Some of it is science, some of it is mystery. The science bit relates to the flow of air around the cricket ball when it is bowled. The air passes around the shiny side of the ball more quickly than the rough, dull side. This produces aerodynamic drag which helps the ball swing. In overcast conditions, the perceived wisdom is that swing is often (but not always) more pronounced. However, some people believe this is utter nonsense and that the primary factor is that the ball isn't perfectly round and no two balls - especially the hand stitched ones used in England - are ever the same. Hence, sometimes you get swing, sometimes you don't.

As for the pitches, I'll leave others to comment on that as it's always baffled me.

[Foulthrow]

Go outside with a ball. Bounce it on some grass. As it's wet through at the moment said ball won't bounce that much.

Now find a dry, rock hard surface. Repeat the same experiment. Notice any difference?

[MACCA]

Same reason reason a football behaves differently when kicked a long the grass in various conditions.

Same reason a football behaves differently when kicked high up in the air in various conditions

Same reason a football behaves differently when kicked in different areas of the ball, speed in which it's kicked and with different areas of the foot it is kicked.

A lot is to do with skill and practice, but like every outdoor sport, the weatger/conditions will always play a part.

It's just the skilled/experienced players know how to use it to their advantage.

[cricketfieldclarets]

I thought this was to explain why anyone would watch it.

[Quickenthetempo]

Nobody has been able to work ball movement out yet. How do similar bowlers with the same ball make it move so different? Sometimes it swings early from the bowlers hand, sometimes late and even when it goes past the batsman.

There are theories on it that could cover 90% of deliveries. But it can't be fact as the same bowler, bowling the same delivery, in the same conditions and with the same ball will very rarely have the exact same outcome.

[Quickenthetempo]

I thought this was to explain why anyone would watch it.

It's your first name on here, you must love it?

[pushpinpussy]

Funniest cricket quote ever

"It couldn't have been Gatt. Anything he takes up to his room after nine o'clock, he eats" - Ian Botham on the Mike Gatting barmaid scandal

[tybfc]

Talk / listen to Jimmy Anderson and he will explain better than anybody than I have ever heard on the way that a cricket ball swings and moves off the pitch in different parts of the world.

Fascinating on how much he has worked on the thought and bowling process which has made him England's best ever bowler.

[bedfords]

England's best ever bowler.

Top wicket taker.

[houseboy]

Some of it is science, some of it is mystery. The science bit relates to the flow of air around the cricket ball when it is bowled. The air passes around the shiny side of the ball more quickly than the rough, dull side. This produces aerodynamic drag which helps the ball swing. In overcast conditions, the perceived wisdom is that swing is often (but not always) more pronounced. However, some people believe this is utter nonsense and that the primary factor is that the ball isn't perfectly round and no two balls - especially the hand stitched ones used in England - are ever the same. Hence, sometimes you get swing, sometimes you don't.

As for the pitches, I'll leave others to comment on that as it's always baffled me.

I think the pitch bit is easier to understand than the other stuff because there is physical contact. The state of the ball is said to be why bowlers are seen rubbing it against their crotch to 'roughen up' one side of it. Personally I think it's because they are weird that way and rather like it.

[Quickenthetempo]

I think the pitch bit is easier to understand than the other stuff because there is physical contact. The state of the ball is said to be why bowlers are seen rubbing it against their crotch to 'roughen up' one side of it. Personally I think it's because they are weird that way and rather like it.

Rubbing it against their pants makes it shiny not roughed up.

[Somethingfishy]

It is all to do with air resistance and aerodynamics. The smooth shiny side of the ball will move faster through the air than the rough side casusing the ball to swerve or bend in mid air. This makes it harder to read for the batsman. Then there is the seam on the ball. Obviously depending on how the ball hits the ground and whether it catches the raised up bit will determine which angle the ball bounces off at. The hardness of the pitch is another variable which affects the bounce. If it is really dry and the pitch cracks then if the ball hits a crack (much like the seam) it will bounce off at another angle to its trajectory. Spinners often aim for scuffed up areas of the pitch as this helps the ball grip differently and accentuates the spin and makes it more unpredictable for the batsman.
The weather affects things too. A cloudy day will often be seen as good bowling conditions. This is something to do with the moisture in the air causing it to affect how the ball travels through the air.

Add all these together and you can see how hard it can be as a batsman to predict how the ball will bounce and move.

[fatboy47]

""England's best ever bowler.""




and top wicket taker.

[KRBFC]

Is it not obvious?

[houseboy]

Rubbing it against their pants makes it shiny not roughed up.

Sorry about that - I don't actually like cricket.

[UpTheBeehole]

There's a good Cricinfo article on swing here, written by a NASA scientist

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/co ... 58645.html

[Quickenthetempo]

Sorry about that - I don't actually like cricket.

I guessed, was just pointing it out.

[Diesel]

That's cleared that up then.

[Dressinggown]

The way that a cricket ball behaves is only down to the relationship between weather conditions, pitch conditions, ball condition, bowler input/skill and the Dark Arts.

Shane Warne's 'Ball of the Century' is a great example. Upon leaving his hand the ball had a huge number of revolutions per second on it. This caused the ball to drift towards Mike Gatting's pads and dip late (bowler input, ball condition & atmosphere).

Upon pitching a yard down the leg side it turned through 90 degrees and bowled Gatting, hitting off his stump (Dark Arts).

Gatting shook his head and then left the ground never to be seen again.

Sky Sports regularly do 'Masterclasses' with some of the best ever former and current cricketers at breaks during the game. Jimmy Anderson explains swing superbly and then he produces the real deal with a real delivery.

Anyway, will you be up late tonight when we start our Ashes triumph down under ?