Do red, white and pink cricket balls behave differently?

Three colours are used for cricket balls in different formats – red, white, and pink.

The difference in colour is down to visibility. The traditional red ball remains used for Test matches as they stand out in daylight and don’t clash with the players’ whites

White balls were introduced for matches in limited-overs formats, which often take place under floodlights like One-Day Internationals and T20s. They were developed in the 1970s and first used in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

Cricket balls have a cork interior, held together by tightly wound yarn. The exterior of first-class balls is typically made of four pieces of leather which is either machine or hand-stitched together to create the distinctive seam.

Whenever a manufacturer produces cricket balls for the men’s first-class game, they must abide by the following measurements:

The different balls are designed with distinct colours for visibility reasons only, and manufacturers often insist no difference exists beyond the colour.

But many players, coaches and fans believe they each behave differently.

There is a common perception the white ball swings more than the red ball, and bowlers also sometimes claim there is a difference in feel in the hand between the two, leading to a slight difference in grip and greater difficulty generating spin.

Given the discrepancy between what the manufacturers say and what players insist they experience, there is no conclusive answer which explains whether the different balls really do or do not play differently.

But if they do, what could possibly be behind it?

Well, the exteriors of the different kinds of ball are treated slightly differently during the manufacturing process.

Red balls are commonly darkened with wax before the lacquering process, lending them a leathery feel, while white balls can have an extra layer of polish applied to improve their shine under floodlights.

That creates a smoother, glassier finish which could allow white balls to move slightly more quickly through the air and face less resistance, leading it to swing farther than the red ball. The seam on a white ball can also be less prominent than on a red ball, leading to a further decrease in air resistance.

The pink ball is treated more similarly to the white ball, though it features a black or green seam to improve contrast. Some believe the pink ball has a tendency to swing even more than the white ball.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. This question was submitted by Mark in Preston. Thanks, Mark!

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