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Science Dipstick
Cricket
Tamper the Ball & Swing it!
Posted on: Fri,Mar 18th 2011
In the sport of cricket, ball tampering is an action in which a fielder illegally alters the condition of the ball. Under Law 42, subsection 3 of the Laws of Cricket, the ball may be polished without the use of an artificial substance, may be dried with a towel if it is wet, and have mud removed from it under supervision; all other actions which alter the condition of the ball are illegal. These are usually taken to include rubbing the ball on the ground, scuffing with a fingernail or other sharp object, or tampering with the seam of the ball.
Generally, the purpose of altering the state of the ball is to achieve more favourable bowling conditions. A fielder may apply a substance, such as lip balm or sweetened saliva, to shine one side of the ball or pick the seam of the ball to encourage more swing.
Conversely, one side of the ball can be roughened by use of an abrasive or cutting surface (such as boot spikes or bottle caps). The use of sweetened saliva was shown to be particularly useful in obtaining Reverse swing in the 2005 Ashes series.
Using spit and/or sweat is common and, for practitioners of swing bowling, integral. The moisture gained from spit or sweat when combined with polishing, smooths out one half of the ball which in turn allows air to pass over one side of the ball quicker than the other. When bowled correctly, a bowler can get the ball to move from one side to the other through the air. Also, it is not unusual for bowlers to rub the ball against their legs to clean it as it has been seen in almost every cricket match.
The use of foreign substances to polish the ball, while illegal, is in some corners considered to be relatively common, and passes without incident or sanction. Substances which are suggested for this purpose include hair gel, sugar and lip balm
In addition, picking at the threads of the main seam or 'lifting' the quarter seam to aid conventional and reverse swing respectively are considered illegal. Modifying the quarter seam can be particularly difficult to detect or prove.
Generally, the purpose of altering the state of the ball is to achieve more favourable bowling conditions. A fielder may apply a substance, such as lip balm or sweetened saliva, to shine one side of the ball or pick the seam of the ball to encourage more swing.
Conversely, one side of the ball can be roughened by use of an abrasive or cutting surface (such as boot spikes or bottle caps). The use of sweetened saliva was shown to be particularly useful in obtaining Reverse swing in the 2005 Ashes series.
Using spit and/or sweat is common and, for practitioners of swing bowling, integral. The moisture gained from spit or sweat when combined with polishing, smooths out one half of the ball which in turn allows air to pass over one side of the ball quicker than the other. When bowled correctly, a bowler can get the ball to move from one side to the other through the air. Also, it is not unusual for bowlers to rub the ball against their legs to clean it as it has been seen in almost every cricket match.
The use of foreign substances to polish the ball, while illegal, is in some corners considered to be relatively common, and passes without incident or sanction. Substances which are suggested for this purpose include hair gel, sugar and lip balm
In addition, picking at the threads of the main seam or 'lifting' the quarter seam to aid conventional and reverse swing respectively are considered illegal. Modifying the quarter seam can be particularly difficult to detect or prove.
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