"Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players each
on a field at the centre of which is a 22-yard pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two
bails balanced on three stumps.” Well, that’s what the first line of cricket’s Wikipedia page reads.
Anyways, so is that it about cricket? Is cricket really a game of such childish simplicity? To the
people who don’t follow the game it might be so.
But to the aficionados, cricket is a game of infinite subtlety, not only in strategy but also in the
most basic mechanics involved in it. While the tactical part often gets its fair share of limelight, the
scientific part either gets overlooked or gets misunderstood. Science or more specifically aerodynamics
dictates what would be the path of a cricket ball after being released by the bowler. Every delivery of
the ball can have a different trajectory which can be varied by changing the length, the pace, the line
or by swinging the ball through the air so that it drifts sideways. The fact is that the path that a
cricket ball follows upon being released may not always be under the control of the bowler.
Unplayable, Unpredictable, Unintentional.
The deviation of a cricket ball from its original path has always captivated followers of the game but
people who actually understand the mechanics involved behind these movements are scarce. As a matter of
fact, the general public perception is based upon the misconceptions and inaccurate explanations that
float around instead of the basic principles of science. Several researches and works have been done
over the years to put an end to these misconceptions but there still remains a general lack of awareness
among the majority of the admirers of cricket.
Indian Institute of Information Technology
Raichur
