For someone who considers himself quite sporty, for some reason I could just never grasp the game of cricket.
Racket sports, football and athletics were definitely more my thing.
I remember playing cricket at school one time, and the coach said I was gripping the bat with my hands the wrong way round! 🙂
My best position was probably fielder as that meant I didn’t have much to do.
If you don’t know the game it’s the batsman, bowler and wicket keeper who are involved the most, and as a fielder you’re only really in the game if the batsman hits a shot in your direction.
I think as I’ve got older I’ve learnt to appreciate the game more. One day matches can be quite thrilling, especially in the closing stages.
What’s the difference between a tennis ball and a cricket ball?
One of the main reasons I didn’t like cricket too much at school was that catching the ball was so damn hard because it’s quite heavy.
You need very good technique in how you catch a cricket ball or you can really bruise your hand, or worse still, break a finger. I wish someone had shown this video to me all those years ago!
For me at least, catching a tennis ball is a lot easier.
Let’s look at some of the differences between tennis balls and cricket balls..
What are tennis balls and cricket balls made of?
Tennis balls have a felt coating and hollow rubber core with pressurized air inside. Cricket balls consist of a cork core, which is encased by tightly woven string. This is covered by an outer leather coating with a sewn seam, which can be in either two or four pieces.
What colour are they?
Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in colour, although they used to be white. Cricket balls are traditionally red, but they can also be white. A white cricket ball is a better choice for one-day and Twenty20 matches, which can be played under floodlights, as it helps the players to see the ball better.
How big are they?
According to the International Tennis Federation, tennis balls should have an official diameter between 6.54-6.86cm (2.57”- 2.70”). Cricket balls, on the other hand, are a bit wider with a diameter of 2.80 – 2.86″.
How much do crickets balls and tennis balls weigh?
Tennis balls should weigh between 56.0-59.4 grams (1.975-2.095 oz). Cricket balls are almost 3 times as heavy in the men’s game, weighing between 155.9-163 grams (5.5-5.75 oz). A lighter cricket ball is used for the women’s game and for junior cricket, 140-151 grams and 133-144 grams respectively.
How high do they bounce?
It depends on the surface, but a cricket ball can bounce to a roughly a third of whatever height it’s dropped from if it lands on a steel plate e.g. drop height of 2m = bounce height of 0.67m.
Tennis balls bounce higher, due the hollow centre filled with pressurized air, although they will lose their bounce over time.
Do they float?
Both cricket balls and tennis balls can float on water, as they have positive buoyancy.