Choosing the Perfect Cricket Ball: Understanding Different Types and Qualities

Not all cricket balls are the same. Standard cricket balls come in different brands and colours, while there are also some very handy training balls which can be used to help develop skills. Let’s look at the different types of cricket balls – including those which might be a perfect choice for you:

Standard Cricket Ball

There are three main manufacturers of cricket balls in the world – Kookaburra, Dukes, and SG. As a famous Australian brand known for their high quality and durability, Kookaburra balls are used in many international matches. However, they’re the most used cricket ball across Australia.

Gray-Nicolls cricket balls are also popular. Dukes cricket balls are traditionally used in English County Cricket, with SG cricket balls widely used in India.  Cricket balls used in international matches also come in three different colours:

• Red – Test matches
• White – One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 matches (T20)
• Pink – Day-Night Test matches

Given most amateur cricket matches in Australia are played during daylight hours, a red Kookaburra or Gray Nicolls ball is the go-to for most people!

Training Cricket Balls

Budding cricketers used to apply tape over tennis balls to generate some swing during bowling practice. However, there are now much better ways for beginners to work on their games.

Kookaburra has a wide range of specially designed training cricket balls on the market, which can help junior cricketers hone different skills. For bowlers, these include:

• Sponge Ball – Very soft cricket ball perfect for those just starting out in the sport.
• Swing Demon – Specially-designed tennis ball centre which has rough and smooth sides to help develop swing bowling technique.
• Swing Master – More advanced plastic cricket ball with rough and smooth sides for players to work on their swing bowling.
• Spinner Ball – Dual-density cricket ball with enhanced stitching on the seam, which can help improve spin bowling skills.
• Supa Soft ball – Super soft foam centre but keeps a high-quality thread and outer shell construction. This is perfect for short ball training and younger cricketers!
• Super Quick – Another soft-feel cricket ball, but one which has a fast momentum core to develop and train good fast bowling habits.

For those looking to work on their batting skills, both Kookaburra and Gray-Nicolls offer cricket balls which are attached to a string.

Kookaburra calls it the ‘Super Coach Technique Leather Ball’, while Gray-Nicolls has the ‘Batting Master’ which come in leather and plastic variants. These balls can be hung from safe places, allowing young cricketers to practice their batting shots and technique with an elevated ball.

Kookaburra also has a ‘Reflex Ball’, which is a six-sided ball designed to provide an unpredictable bounce and test the reflexes of fielders.

Looking to buy some cricket balls?

If you want to work on your cricket game, you need the right tools. Check out our online store for a wide range of cricket balls, including specially-designed training balls for developing bowling, batting and fielding skills.