How does the shine affect the swing of a cricket ball?
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Watch: A detailed analysis of art of seam bowling
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Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
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NewsTranscript
00:00Just to give it a little perspective, this is a ball which has got a bit of a shine.
00:04Not exactly a new ball, maybe about 1 or 2 overs old, where with a bit of your sweat
00:12you can bring the shine back onto the ball.
00:15What happens is every ball the bowler bowls, either he wants to bring the ball in or he
00:20wants to bring the ball out.
00:21So every time the ball pitches on the ground, one side is going to get affected and the
00:25other side they keep shining the ball.
00:27So it will become something like this.
00:30So one side will slowly get the rough and the other side will be shiny.
00:34By the way, the autograph here is of the legendary Shane Wan.
00:38So I am honoured to hold that ball.
00:42So one side is shiny and the other side is rough.
00:44So what happens is, just to illustrate, by holding the seam like this, facing the third
00:51man, because I am talking from a right handed batsman perspective.
00:56So this way, when the bowler is bowling an out swing, this is the way you bowl.
01:01And if you have to bowl an in swing, the shine is on the outside and the seam is pointing
01:04towards the fine leg and you bring the ball in.
01:06Basically the ball swings towards the rough side.
01:09Yes, basically initially to start with, the shine will take the ball towards that part.
01:14When you throw the ball, its crosses are very fast and this ball is rough, it has more traction
01:24with the end.
01:25So then that side the ball swings, right?
01:27Ball swings, correct.
01:28Absolutely, you are right.
01:29So this happens initially about 15-20 overs, there will be shine, this ball maybe for 15-20
01:35overs you can use it, you can keep shining.
01:38The saliva is gone, now we are using the sweat.
01:41So slowly this side.
01:42Which side bowlers use saliva?
01:44This side, the one which is shiny.
01:46This is the side you use.
01:47Why do they use the saliva?
01:48Saliva, because only with the, how will you shine it?
01:51The ball becomes like this.
01:52Even here, if I use my sweat or saliva, you can bring back this condition.
01:57But you wanted to do this because you wanted to differentiate and bring the ball more,
02:02to increase the swing of the ball.
02:04Basically for the swing.
02:05Swing, basically.
02:06Even for the swimmers.
02:07So what's the change now?
02:08See, instead of saliva, you have to use sweat.
02:11So sweat is slightly heavier than saliva.
02:14So as you use sweat, this side becomes a bit heavier.
02:18But the shine will be the same, but it will become heavier.
02:21But with saliva, when the balance is even, and after 30 overs, more rough comes into
02:27the side, and if this is the in-swing I bowl, but at a good pace, when the rough is more
02:34predominant on the other side, as the ball is going, suddenly there is a drag force and
02:40takes the ball away.
02:41So what difference it will make, Satish, if now bowlers are not allowed to use saliva?
02:46The reverse swing will not be as predominant as it used to be when there is, slightly disadvantage
02:55to the bowlers.
02:56That's what is the biggest disadvantage.
03:00And again, it also comes, the shine also comes into play for the spinners as well.
03:04As an off spinner, you bowl the ball, this is the spin you impart.
03:09But what happens is, with the shine, it keeps drifting, and then comes, pitches and comes
03:13in.
03:14So you can fool the batsman, because everything, the batsman is looking at the angle, the target,
03:18how it's happening.
03:19So once it is going, he might think that the ball is going away.
03:22So he might try to play that way, that the ball comes in, so you make him do that slight
03:29error in judgment.
03:30Will it make difference with the use of saliva on the red ball, white ball, pink ball?
03:36If you look at the texture of the ball, it's different.
03:38This is different, the white ball is different, the pink ball is different, the red ball is
03:41different.
03:42Yes, on all three balls, if you look at, of course, these are all not the high quality
03:46ones.
03:47This is the SG test one.
03:49So there is a slight disadvantage, like when you use saliva, there is no problem with that,
03:55because that's how it used to be.
03:56There is no alteration in the balance, the balance remains the same.
04:00That's not allowed anymore.
04:01Yeah, it's not allowed anymore.
04:02So the sweat will make it slightly heavier on the other side.
04:06So but I'm sure over a period of time, the bowlers will get used to bowling with the
04:11sweat on, and they will be able to control it.
04:14You mean to say that bowlers need to work harder to swing the ball?
04:17Yes.
04:18Especially when it's old.
04:19Correct.
04:20See, just to prove a point, this part is a little rough.
04:24I use my sweat.
04:27And then I start rubbing with my nice shiny trousers or something like that.
04:35Then it starts getting like this, the same way.
04:37You can bring the ball back to its shine like this.
04:41But the bowlers prefer to keep one side rough.
04:45Rough.
04:46Yeah.
04:47Because that helps them in the reverse swing, because that's where, see as a batsman, when
04:50I'm as a batsman starting here, if I see the shine on the other side, I know the bowler
04:55is going to bowl an in-swinger.
04:56If the shine is on the outside, I know the bowler is bowling an out-swinger.
04:59So will it make a difference for spinners also, with the use of saliva if they win?
05:03Yes.
05:04But not much.
05:05Not much for the spinners.
05:06Because the swing is, there is a swing more than the spin and the drift.
05:10So it's the same.
05:11And again, what happens is, the reason why we have to keep shining one side is, the bowler,
05:16batsman, this is the way the bowler comes in, and the batsman might think the ball is
05:20coming in-swingers, but with the reverse swing, the last minute it goes out, then you get
05:26into a false shot.
05:27That's where the bowlers use the...
05:29Basically, I would say, Satish, that you can still use sweat.
05:35It's not a big difference.
05:38I think the decision is more concerned about hygiene.
05:40Absolutely.
05:41It's a hygienic issue, because when you sweat, they put the two fingers here, and then they
05:46rub it, and then the ball is on the ground, and they pick it up, and they do it again.
05:49Yeah, again, like with the COVID scenario, I think...
05:51It's more hygienic.
05:52And, of course, it also stops people from using, as we spoke about, the gums and the
05:57sweet candies.
05:58That gives an extra added advantage.
06:00So this makes it a level playing field.
06:03Of course, the bowlers, the fast bowlers especially, are at a slight disadvantage.
06:07I'm sure they will learn.
06:08They will have to work around it.