A cricket pitch is a unique strip of 22-yards as it requires meticulous proportions of dust, grass, and soil. These are in accordance to the weather. When a professional bowler bowls a legal delivery, it requires the ball to pitch on this surface. Simultaneously, bowlers also inculcate spin or swing on the ball. The batter’s task on the other hand is to protect the wicket and score runs off these variations that the bowler presents with.
The cricket ball’s path towards the batter depends on a range of factors. These are discussed below succinctly.
Type of the pitch
Depending on which ingredient is more or less on a cricket pitch, the ball’s bounce can vary across venues. As a basic guide, remember that a pitch dominated by grass facilitates pace, a cracked dusty surface benefits the spinners, and a flat pitch is a heaven for the batters.
Bounce of the ball
The bounce of a cricket ball is tested on metal sheets. The ball must bounce one third of the height of 2 meters to be deemed fit for play. This variation affects the pace of the ball significantly especially when tested on a pitch with different constituents.
Force on a cricket ball
The amount of time the ball remains in contact with the pitch when it is bounced is directly proportional to the velocity with which the bowler throws the ball. The force applied on the ball has an average of 8800 N in professional cricketer. This is subject to change depending on the amount of moisture on the surface.
Air resistance
The physics of a cricket ball has been used in schools to better explain the laws of the subject. The explanation focuses on air resistance when the bowler throws the bowler. When released by the bowler, the air resistance decreases the speed of the ball. It further contributes by decreasing the speed of the ball once it bounces. Air resistance contributes to the swing of the ball both before and after it pitches which is a topic for another educative piece.
Thus, surface characteristics aside, a lot of external factors contribute to determine how the ball’s speed and direction will vary once it bounces. The speed of the surface thus plays a crucial role in the sport as it challenges the adaptability of professional cricketers across countries.
