Sunday, August 31, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Chemistry

Cricket physics: Science behind the modern bowler technique tricking batters

August 13, 2024
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Impact of a cricket ball’s transverse spin on nearby pressure distribution
70
SHARES
635
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2024 – Key to winning a cricket match is tricking the other team’s batters – no small feat as bowlers bowl cricket balls nearly 100 miles per hour. In recent years, a bowling technique that has become popular involves keeping the arm almost entirely horizontal during delivery, notably used by Sri Lankan stars Lasith Malinga and Matheesha Pathirana. The aerodynamics of such deliveries have perplexed sports physicists.

Impact of a cricket ball’s transverse spin on nearby pressure distribution

Credit: Aafrein Begam Faazil, Abdul Rahim Farhatnuha and Kizhakkelan Sudhakaran Siddharth

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2024 – Key to winning a cricket match is tricking the other team’s batters – no small feat as bowlers bowl cricket balls nearly 100 miles per hour. In recent years, a bowling technique that has become popular involves keeping the arm almost entirely horizontal during delivery, notably used by Sri Lankan stars Lasith Malinga and Matheesha Pathirana. The aerodynamics of such deliveries have perplexed sports physicists.

In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers have started to unravel the mysteries of how such a bowling action leads to such tough-to-hit balls. Using a wind tunnel, Faazil et al. have described the changes in pressure fields surrounding a ball due to the spinning brought on by bowling with a near-horizontal arm.

“The unique and unorthodox bowling styles demonstrated by cricketers have drawn significant attention, particularly emphasizing their proficiency with a new ball in early stages of a match,” said author Kizhakkelan Sudhakaran Siddharth. “Their bowling techniques frequently deceive batsmen, rendering these bowlers effective throughout all phases of a match in almost all formats of the game.”

The amount and way that a cricket ball jukes along its trajectory heavily relies on the interplay between the spin of the ball and operational Reynold’s number, a dimensionless quantity that relates fluid density, ball dimension, air speed, and fluid viscosity.

To get to the heart of their question, the team employed a wake survey rake device made of multiple tubes designed to capture the pressure downstream of the ball. This was complemented by an imaging system capable of detecting pressure variations sensed in the connected manometers. The study examined the flow dynamics of cricket balls rotating up to 2,500 revolutions per minute in a wind tunnel.

“The simultaneous traversal-imaging technique combined with the traditional manometers utilized in this study yielded remarkable precision, exceeding all expectations,” Siddharth said. “This demonstrated to be an outstanding approach for replicating the intricate and dynamic situations experienced in sports contexts within a wind tunnel setting.”

The group found that low-pressure zones expanded and intensified near the ball when spinning, while these zones shifted and diminished downstream. At higher spin rates, the low-pressure zone begins to change to a persistent bilobed shape.

The results lend support to the theory that these newer bowling techniques tap into the Magnus effect, in which high-speed spinning creates effects that shift the ball midflight.

Siddharth hopes the work stokes further interest in understanding the physics of cricket ball dynamics. The group looks to investigate how other factors, such as wear on the ball, affect aerodynamics.

###

The article “Unraveling the near vicinity pressure field of a transversely spinning cricket ball” is authored by Aafrein Begam Faazil, Abdul Rahim Farhatnuha, and Kizhakkelan Sudhakaran Siddharth. It will appear in Physics of Fluids on Aug. 13, 2024 (DOI: 10.1063/5.0215749). After that date, it can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0215749.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Physics of Fluids is devoted to the publication of original theoretical, computational, and experimental contributions to the dynamics of gases, liquids, and complex fluids. See https://aip.scitation.org/journal/phf.

###



Journal

Physics of Fluids

DOI

10.1063/5.0215749

Article Title

Unraveling the near vicinity pressure field of a transversely spinning cricket ball

Article Publication Date

13-Aug-2024

Share28Tweet18
Previous Post

PCORI announces $165 million in funding for new health research

Next Post

Lurie Children’s Hospital awarded $12 million by PCORI to study best approach to treat mild pneumonia in young children

Related Posts

blank
Chemistry

Innovative Pimple Patches Offer Effective Solution for Stubborn Acne

August 29, 2025
blank
Chemistry

Revealing the Unseen: A Breakthrough Method to Enhance Nanoscale Light Emission

August 29, 2025
blank
Chemistry

Fluorescent Smart Eye Patch Revolutionizes Monitoring of Eye Health

August 29, 2025
blank
Chemistry

Protective Dual Shell Extends Lifespan of Lithium-Rich Batteries

August 29, 2025
blank
Chemistry

Interface-Engineered Antiferromagnetic Tunnel Junctions Pave the Way for Next-Generation Spintronics

August 29, 2025
blank
Chemistry

Reversible Small-Molecule Assembly Enables Recyclable Battery Electrolytes

August 29, 2025
Next Post
Lurie Children’s Hospital awarded $12 million by PCORI to study best approach to treat mild pneumonia in young children

Lurie Children’s Hospital awarded $12 million by PCORI to study best approach to treat mild pneumonia in young children

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27542 shares
    Share 11014 Tweet 6884
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    956 shares
    Share 382 Tweet 239
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    642 shares
    Share 257 Tweet 161
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    509 shares
    Share 204 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    313 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Linking Brain Imaging Phenotypes to Ovarian Cancer Risk
  • Mastering Research: Succeeding in Biomedical Engineering Graduate School
  • Decoding Carotid Artery Sounds with Doppler Technology
  • Immune Response Resilience in Older Adults Post-COVID

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Blog
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,182 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading