Cork, Twine and Leather: How a Cricket Ball Is Made

Hold a new cricket ball and you notice the weight first. It is heavier than it looks, hard and faintly cool, with a lacquered skin that catches the light and a seam standing up like a ridge on a tiny globe. It is easy to forget that this object, which will be hurled at a hundred miles an hour or more and struck by a bat, is the product of a series of surprisingly traditional crafts.

A core of cork

At the centre of a good cricket ball sits a small core made mainly of cork. Cork is used because it is light, springy and resilient, and holds its shape after repeated impact. Layers of cork may be compressed together, and in some balls, rubber is added to the mix. The core gives the ball its basic bounce and its resistance to being crushed.

Around the core, workers wind layers of tightly wound string, which adds to the ball's weight and firmness. The tension of that winding is critical, since it affects how the ball feels and behaves when struck. The result is a hard sphere of the correct size, ready for its leather coat.

The leather cover

The outer shell is made of cowhide leather, often described as being cut into sections that are shaped to wrap around the core. In a traditional four-piece construction, two halves are formed from leather that is shaped into hemispheres, then stitched together. In another common construction, the cover is made of four separate pieces joined along seams. Different makers have their own methods and preferences.

Before being stitched, the leather is dyed, with red the traditional colour for Test and first-class matches. The leather is also treated with grease and finished with lacquer, which gives the ball its shine and some resistance to moisture. This finish matters a great deal to bowlers, because it is what they work to preserve on one side during an innings.

Stitching the seam

A classic cricket ball has a main seam running right round its equator, with rows of stitches either side. On top-quality balls, these are sewn by hand, using strong waxed thread. The stitching is done tight, so that the leather is pulled firmly onto the core, and the seam stands up from the surface in a clearly defined ridge.

The seam is not decoration; it is the basis for much of what bowlers do. A raised, upright seam trips the airflow and produces swing, and bites into a pitch to produce seam movement. A ball with a flat or damaged seam loses some of those qualities. When a batter hits a ball hard enough to burst the stitching, the umpires will replace it, and the match goes on with a ball of similar wear.

Red, white and pink

Different formats use different balls. The red ball is the standard for Test cricket and many longer matches, and it is designed to wear gradually over 80 overs, scuffing and softening in a way that allows bowlers of all kinds to play a part. White balls are used in limited-overs cricket, partly because they are easier to see against dark sight screens and coloured clothing. Pink balls were introduced for day-night Tests, so that players and spectators could see the ball under floodlights.

Each type has its own quirks, and bowlers and batters talk about them constantly. How quickly the lacquer wears, how long the seam stays hard, and how soon the ball goes soft are all matters of intense debate.

Why the details matter

Small differences in construction can change how a ball behaves. A slightly harder seam can help swing for longer. A different leather finish can change how a ball scuffs. The way a ball goes out of shape can affect how well a batter can hit it. Match officials monitor the ball, and in professional cricket there are strict rules on the size, weight and conditions of balls. Law 4 of the Laws of Cricket sets out the permitted weight and circumference, so that a ball in a village match is recognisably the same object as the one in a Test.

Why a ball goes soft

Over a long innings, the ball changes. The lacquer chips, the leather softens, and the seam, pounded by the pitch and the bat, begins to flatten. Bowlers and captains monitor this closely because a ball that has gone soft is less lively off the bat and the pitch, and swing fades as the seam loses definition. In a Test, the fielding side can take a new ball after a set number of overs, which is one reason the middle of an innings and the start of a new-ball spell feel so different.

Umpires also have a role in checking that a ball which has been hit out of shape is replaced with one in similar condition. The match ball is a shared object that belongs to neither side, and treating it fairly is part of what makes the contest honest. It is a small detail, but it shows how seriously the sport takes the one object around which everything revolves.

A craft that has kept its character

Machines have taken over some parts of manufacturing, but the cricket ball remains a surprisingly hand-made object. Experienced makers can judge by touch and weight whether a ball has been wound and stitched properly, and different makers across the cricketing world have different reputations. For fans, that is part of the charm. Each ball is a small piece of craft that, in the course of a match, will be polished, scuffed, hit and fought over. It begins life in a workshop and ends it, battered and bruised, as a story of a day's play.