What is a cricket ball made of?

If you’ve ever seen cricket, you know that cricket balls go through a lot during matches, so they have to be extremely durable while keeping their aerodynamic qualities. How do manufacturers achieve this and what are cricket balls made of? Here’s everything you need to know.

If you’re a cricket fan, you see cricket balls fly all over the place, withstanding some huge hits throughout a game. What makes them both comfortable to use and resilient? How are they made, and, finally, what are cricket balls made of? Let’s learn more about them with Sophia Novakivska of DashTickets.

What are cricket balls?

A cricket ball is a leather-covered ball that adheres to the following standards:

The balls designed for women’s cricket and junior cricket are a bit smaller and lighter. 

Cricket balls are designed to be bowled and consequently hit with a bat, fly huge distances, and hit the wickets at high speeds, so they have to be extremely durable and reliable for them to be used in professional matches — although even high-quality balls tend to deteriorate over the course of the game. 

Currently, the three major companies producing high-quality cricket balls are Dukes (UK), SG (India), and Kookaburra (Australia), each relying on their own secrets to keep their market share. However, while some technologies may differ, most cricket balls share the same inner structure and use the same materials, note experts at DashTickets.    

What’s inside cricket balls?

Cricket balls mainly consist of several key layers, and are similar to baseball ones. 

The core of the ball is made of cork, which is pressed into the required shape with a mold, ensuring a precise fit for the requirements. After that, the core is pressed together with two slices of cork, which are then glued to form a rough shape of the ball-to-be. 

Then, when the glue has dried, each core is tightly wound with worsted yarn, wrapping the core and providing a bit more even bounce to it as well as a more round shape. After that, the inner part of the ball is finally covered with high-quality leather, which is the first material you recognize when you see the ball. 

The leather is usually divided into two hemispheres, which are then stitched together tightly with a linen thread. These stitches are quite a big deal, as they provide bowlers with a better grip while minimizing any negative impact on the ball’s aerodynamics. Some manufacturers rely on traditional handwork for this process, while others use machines to ensure consistency.   

Finally, the balls will be sprayed with a nitrocellulose lacquer to add extra shine to the leather and make it a bit more durable. After that comes the quality control, during which the manufacturer ensures the balls meet standards for bounce, size, weight, and roundness. If the balls pass the test, the manufacturer brands them and soon enough they’ll be used in an official match.

It is worth noting that most cricket balls come in red, white, or pink colors depending on the intended use. White balls are generally used for one-day matches to ensure high visibility during the day. Traditional red ones are mostly used in Test cricket. Pink balls are relatively new when compared to both red and white ones, and are designed to contrast with players’ white clothes and improve visibility.

This article was written in cooperation with Sophia Novakovska from DashTickets