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[Blwe_torch]

Does the white ball behave differently?  
 
The white ball is made the same way as the red one
A cricket ball is round and hard, right?

Well, not exactly.

Many players claim the white balls used for one-day games have more swing and more sting than the more traditional cherry-red ones.

We did a little digging to find out more...

Why were white balls introduced in the first place?

White balls are used in one-day matches that usually require the team batting second to play their innings under floodlights.

Under these conditions a white ball is easier to see than a red one.

Is there a difference in the way they are made?
The materials used to make cricket balls are the same now as in the 1700s.

All cricket balls are made from cork and latex rubber on the inside with leather on the outside.

But white balls show up scuffs and blemishes more than red ones.

So they have a harder-wearing coating to stop them getting dirty.

What do the manufacturers say?

Leading cricket ball manufacturers Kookaburra supply the balls for most one-day internationals.

 
The evening conditions could also help the ball to swing

They insist the only difference between the two types of ball is the colour.

They say the two balls are manufactured from the same materials in exactly the same way.

"The various processes that are involved in making the white ball are similar in every aspect to the way the red ball is made," said Stuart Waterton, brand manager of Kookaburra Sport UK.

"They go down the same production line with the only variation being the colour of the leather.

"A great deal of effort and emphasis is placed on ensuring that the performance characteristics of the balls are the same," he added.

But what do the people that really matter - the cricket players - think?

They say white balls are just not the same as red ones.

They claim white balls have more sting and more swing!

They say the red ones have a more leathery texture while the glassy finish on the white version makes them behave differently when bowled.

As well as being harder (apparently six bats were broken when the New Zealand team tested the white ball out), they also swung more according to some players.

 
Spinners aren't too keen on the white ball

Is this a bad thing?

For spin bowlers, possibly. The extra shine on the ball will affect their grip and the way the ball acts on the pitch.

Medium pacers and fast bowlers will be fine as long as they can control the swing.

Is there any evidence to suggest the white ball swings more?

New Zealand pensioner Brian Wilkins, a keen amateur bowler, has been looking into claims that the white balls swing more than the red ones.

Firing a mixture of balls from a specially-made bowling machine he found the white balls deviated from a straight path much more than the red ones.

But the manufacturers are still not convinced.

They say the difference in swing is more to do with the different conditions in which the balls are used.

"It is more likely that is an optical illusion, being the difference in the conditions under which both forms of the game are played," said Kookaburra's Weston.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/rules_and_equipment/4188060.stm

[dhruvdeepak]

makes you think about the commentators who take this as a given.
Brian Wilkins should expand his little test into a proper scientific study, keeping all factors constant, and submit his results (if indeed he finds the white ball to swing more) to Kookaburra.