Cricket, as we all know, is a well-known sport that involves three different types of balls, namely Red for Tests, White for ODIs and T20Is, and Pink for day-night Tests. Have you ever thought about the most swinging ball in cricket? Perhaps you too have been nonchalant about this question.
That’s why I decided to look into the matter more closely to find out which of the cricket balls swings more — Red, White, or Pink.
Let’s get it started!
Swing Potential of Red, White, and Pink Cricket Balls
Test format has been using the red cricket ball since the early days of cricket. On the contrary, the white cricket ball got its start in limited-overs games in the late 20th century. Meanwhile, the pink ball is a very recent introduction for the night-viewing of Tests.
There is a difference in the colour of the balls but they also have different properties. Although the manufacturing process is the same, there are still some factors that influence the swing of the ball.
What are these factors? The seam of the cricket ball plays an important part in swing bowling.
The red and pink balls are aforementioned to swing a lot more due to their well-defined seam compared to the white ball. The sleek and sharp seam enables bowlers to grip the ball well and thus create considerable swing movement through the air.
In contrast, the white ball has a less pronounced seam which could be one of the reasons restricting the ball from swinging too much in the air. But, on the other hand, the white ball is harder than the red or pink balls.
To prevent white balls from losing their shine too fast, they are polished a lot more. A tough coating is put on the ball’s surface to retain the shininess of the ball as well as its visibility.
The hard coating and polishing produce a finer and smoother surface, which increases the swing of the ball because of reduced resistance to a greater extent. However, with the ball going through the wear and tear process, the conventional swing potential decreases.
To put it differently, the pink ball is not hard-coated as the white ball; in fact, it has a polyurethane (PU) coat instead. Moreover, the pink ball is lighter than red and white ones. These two aspects allow the pink ball to swing more for a longer time than the other two balls.
Thus, it is evident that there is no clear-cut answer to the question. All 3 cricket balls have the capability to produce swing because of their unique properties. What is more, factors such as pitch and ball conditions and the bowler’s skill also contribute significantly to the extent of swing that can be obtained from various types of cricket balls.
