Cricket equipment – ball tampering

Ball tampering is an emotive topic as its seen as cheating, but why the focus on this piece of cricket equipment?
What is a cricket ball made of?

A cricket ball can be made up of two or four pieces. The inside of this piece of cricket equipment is made of cork, with two halves of leather then wrapped around the outside as a casing. The leather is then stitched together to form the "seam". This is slightly raised, which is why seam bowlers try to get this part of the ball to hit the pitch when it bounces and make the ball move in a different direction.

Why do bowlers shine the ball?
The leather of the ball is polished, but the fielding side will try to keep the shine on one side and hope that the other half is roughed up. It's the shine on one side of the ball that can make a ball swing through the air. A white ball is used in one-day cricket as it is easier to see under floodlight equipment and against coloured clothing. Bowlers shine one side of a new cricket ball while the opposite side is left to deteriorate through natural wear and tear. This process helps bowlers swing the ball in the air.

Aerodynamics
In simple terms, the aerodynamics of bowling mean the shiny side travels faster through the air, while the rough side acts as a brake, pushing the ball in the direction of the rough side. But as this piece of cricket equipment loses its early shine, it begins to swing less and it is not until it gets older and rougher that it begins to deviate again, a process known as reverse swing.  As the ball becomes rougher, it will take on a different characteristic as it deteriorates.

Laws of the game
The laws of the game clearly state fielders can polish, clean or dry the ball, but nothing more. The batsmen, pitch and outfield all contribute to the natural wear and tear of this piece of cricket equipment, which usually starts to reverse swing around the 40- to 50-over mark during a Test match. However, the earlier the ball starts to reverse swing, the more problems it poses for the batsmen.

Bowlers can facilitate the deterioration by manipulating the condition of the ball illegally. The seam, which acts as the ball's rudder when it swings, can be picked with fingernails. The nails can also help to further scuff the rough side of the ball. This is known as ball tampering.

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