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There are different types of cricket balls, such as leather balls, duce balls, season cricket balls, wind balls, seam balls, swing balls, tennis cricket balls, and a few others. Every type of cricket ball has its purpose. Most of them are used for training, and only the leather cricket balls, which are also known as duce balls or season cricket balls, are used for playing the sport.
Now one may wonder what a duce ball is in cricket? The answer is that the leather cricket ball is also known as the ‘duce ball’. There’s no difference between a leather ball and a duce ball. Their weight, measurements and other specifications are all exactly the same. Another name for the leather ball or the duce ball is ‘season cricket ball’.
How is Duce ball made?
The inside of a duce ball or leather ball is made up of cork, wooden strings and threads. The core of the cricket ball is made up of cork. The cork used to make cricket balls is obtained from the bark of the cork oak tree. It is the core of the cricket ball and provides the weight to the ball. The cork must be of high quality as it needs to hold its shape. A poor-quality cork may lose its shape quickly. The cork is then made in a round shape using machines.
After the core of the duce ball/leather ball is ready in shape, it’s swathed in multiple layers of linen threads to make a ‘yarn’. Then it is covered in two pieces of leather and stitched using high-quality linen threads.
Then the seam is stitched on the ball. It is still ‘hand-stitched’ despite the advancement in technology in the modern time. The seam is the most important part of a cricket ball. After the seam is stitched, one last process is left which is to polish or shine the ball. All the cricket balls have a shine to them. That’s because the ball is polished to a sheen which helps in visibility, and movement and protects the ball against wear and tear during cricket matches.
A coating of “lacquer” is also applied to the balls. Lacquer is ‘resin’ extracted from trees and waxes. It is used as an extra layer of protection for a cricket ball. The layer of lacquer is different for different balls according to the brand or the format of the game. After all this, the final product is a brand new duce ball or leather ball which is ready to be used in a cricket match.
Weight and measurements of duce ball
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has standardized the weight and other measurements of a cricket ball. The duce ball or leather cricket ball is manufactured according to the weight and size set by the MCC.
Law 4 of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has specified the weight and size of the cricket ball. There are different specifications for different levels of cricket but it is the same for every format. The ball used in men’s test matches has a different weight and size. It is different for test match balls in women’s cricket and junior cricket.
The weight of a cricket ball is specified by law 4.1 from the Marylebone Cricket Club. According to MCC’s law 4.1, the weight of a test cricket ball for men’s cricket should be 5.50 ounces to 5.76 ounces (155.9-163 grams). This is specifically for men’s cricket (international and first-class) and it’s the same for every format in men’s cricket.
Women’s cricket and even junior cricket (u-13) have a standardized weight and measurements of cricket balls used in these levels of the sport. Law 4.6.1 of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) specifies the weight and size of the test cricket ball for women’s cricket. The cricket ball weight for women’s cricket should be between 4.94 ounces to 5.31 ounces (140-151 grams).
Similarly, the cricket ball weight for junior cricket must be between 4.69 ounces to 5.06 ounces (133-144 grams).
Duce Ball Price
Now comes the question of what is the price of a duce ball or a leather cricket ball. The answer to this is that it depends on the quality of the ball i.e. the quality of cork, leather and other materials used to manufacture the cricket ball. High-quality raw materials are used for duce balls that are used in top-level cricket to make the ball last longer against wear and tear.
The price of a duce ball or leather cricket ball starts from as low as INR 500-600 (USD 6 to 7) and goes as high as INR 13000-15000 (USD 154-175) and more.
As mentioned earlier, it depends on the type and quality of the ball and the level of cricket it will be used in. Balls from brands like SG, Kookaburra or Duke are used in top-level cricket and are generally costly compared to the price of cricket balls for other levels of cricket. The price of a cricket ball used in international cricket is anywhere between INR 10,000 to 15,000 (USD 110-175) and above.
What are some of the cricket ball brands?
There are so many cricket ball brands around the world. Most of the countries use balls from “Kookaburra”. It’s an Australian brand. England, Ireland, Scotland and the West Indies use balls from “Dukes”. India uses its own cricket balls which are manufactured by “SG” (Sanspareils Greenlands).
Dukes balls are majorly used for test cricket in England, Ireland, Scotland and the West Indies. It has a prominent layer of lacquer which allows the ball to swing and seam for longer durations.
SG cricket balls are used for test matches in India. It has a very prominent seam which allows the ball to seam around quite a lot and also helps the spinners.
For limited-overs cricket (ODIs, T20Is and franchise cricket) the white kookaburra ball is used. Its seam is less prominent compared to SG or Dukes balls and doesn’t really swing for a longer duration. The price of a duce ball or leather ball used in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) is around INR 12000 (USD 150) and even higher.
Some other cricket ball brands are: Gunn and Moore (GM), 77 Sports, Vinux Enterprises, Delux Sports Company (DSC), A’s Enterprises, A2 Cricket etc.
What’s the difference between duce ball and leather ball?
There’s no difference between a duce ball and a leather ball. The leather ball is also known as the duce ball. From the manufacturing process to the usage and the specifications, both the duce ball and the leather ball are exactly the same.
How to choose the perfect cricket ball?
Choosing the perfect cricket ball is not very complicated if you keep in mind a few things. Firstly, the seam of the ball should be perfect as it should be even without any inconsistency. Then the overall size of the ball should be correct. It shouldn’t be heavier or lighter on one side. Some cricket players said that they try to select the smallest size ball available as it swings quite a lot and is easier to control.
Another important thing to consider while choosing the perfect ball is to always go for branded cricket balls that are made using high-quality raw materials. These cricket balls have consistent bounce and last longer without any major wear and tear.
Duce ball maintenance tips
Maintaining a duce ball is important during a match as it prevents the ball from wear and tear during the match. The most thing a player does to maintain a duce ball is to “shine” the ball.
Earlier players used ‘saliva’ to shine the ball but since the Covid Pandemic, the ICC has banned the use of saliva to shine the ball.
Now, the players use ‘sweat’ to shine the duce ball. It helps the ball to last long against wear and tear. Shining the ball is the most important thing to swing a cricket ball, especially in test cricket and first-class cricket.
Other tips to maintain a cricket ball are to avoid it from getting into water or getting moist. The ball stops swinging and spinning if there’s ‘dew’ in the outfield as it gets wet which results the bowlers to lose control over the ball.
Duce ball usage by format
There are mainly three types of duce ball or leather ball used in cricket: Red, Pink and White. All these balls have different usage by formats.
The red ball has a prominent seam, a coating of lacquer which helps it last long is used in the test cricket format. Test matches last long and the duce balls used in test cricket must be durable.
The pink cricket ball is also used for test matches but only in day-night tests. It has a heavy coating of lacquer and the leather is dyed pink which helps the move extravagantly for longer durations. The pink color and heavy lacquer coating allows for better visibility during the night in the players’ white kits.
The white duce ball is used for limited overs cricket. Generally ODIs, T20Is and franchise cricket matches are played during the night and the white ball has excellent visibility for these matches. It swings for a shorter duration and doesn’t have a prominent seam and a lacquer coating. This is the reason why two balls are used in limited overs cricket; one for each end.
Conclusion
This was everything about the duce ball or the leather ball from its weight, price to its manufacturing and the difference. We also discussed the things to consider before selecting a cricket ball or duce ball.
If you want to know more about the types of cricket balls, test cricket balls or even what’s inside a cricket ball, then check out our detailed guide!
Now let’s move on to some frequently asked questions about duce balls and cricket balls in general.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a duce ball?
The duce ball is another name for the leather cricket ball which is used to play cricket. There’s no difference between a duce ball and a leather cricket ball.
What are different cricket ball brands?
There are many cricket ball brands but Kookaburra is the most popular cricket ball brand in the world. Other big names are Dukes which is used mainly in the United Kingdom and the Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) which is mainly used in India.
Why does cork matter in duce balls?
Cork is one of the most important materials used to manufacture a cricket ball. It is the core of a cricket ball and a good high-quality cork ensures consistent bounce and allows the ball to help its shape for longer durations.
What is a leather cricket ball?
The leather cricket ball is another name for the duce ball. One another name for the leather cricket ball or the duce ball is the season ball. All these balls are the same but have different names in different names in different parts of the world.
