Science Behind Swing Bowling: Cricket is no less than a religion in India. People of almost every age group are passionate about cricket. These days IPL is being played in India and its craze is at its peak. The 2024 T20 World Cup is also to be played after a few weeks. While it is fun to watch amazing fours and sixes in cricket, watching the swinging ball going between the bat and the wicket also has its own fun.
In the World Cup 2023, the world’s strongest batsmen were defeated by the swing bowling of India’s fast bowler Mohammed Shami. Shami’s ball used to swing like a snake in the air and enter the wickets. But do you know how a cricket ball swings? Is there any science behind it or is there some trick?
Aerodynamics do the work
There are three types of swing. Conventional swing, reverse swing and contrast swing. When any fast bowler swings the ball, aerodynamics work in it. Aerodynamics means at what speed an object will travel in the air. Swing bowling means that the ball goes in the air and changes its direction. Former NASA scientist and cricket fan Ravindra Mehta has explained this in great detail. He did research on aerodynamics for 20 years.
In 2006, he gave information about this in an article written on ESPN Cricinfo. He said that to swing the ball, different speeds of air flow are needed on both sides of the ball. Different speeds of air are appropriate to bring lateral force on the ball, which can be brought by using the seam of the ball.
He further told that there is a thin layer of air around the ball. Which is not connected to each other. After a point, this layer gets removed from the ball. When it gets removed from the ball, the air pressure of the ball reduces at that place. From there, the ball turns to the side. This is called swing.
Conditions also support
Actually, bowlers also need the support of conditions to swing the ball. You must have often seen that when there is cloudy weather, any team prefers to bowl first because it has more chances of swing at that time. Because during that time there are clouds and they reduce the density in the air. Because of this, fast bowlers get help in swinging the ball.
What is the role of the bowler?
Even if a bowler understands the idea behind swing, if he is not able to execute it properly, then all this will be of no use to him. The bowler also has to know how to hold the ball. How to hold the seam of the ball. How to keep one side of the ball safe and the other side rough. The bowler has to take care of all these things.
Also read: Shankariya…the name that kept not only Rajasthan but the entire North India in terror
