The red cherry cricket ball has been used in a fairly similarly form for almost 150 years of Test cricket.
Composed of cork wrapped in twine and four pieces of leather with internal stitching keeping around the equator and the iconic six rows of stitching creating the seam around the top.
The red ball was exclusively used until the Kerry Packer Revolution in 1977 introduced the white ball to the shorter form of the game and just under a decade ago the pink ball was first introduced in Test matches too.
The market is packed with practice balls to play, those just for fun – with the old tennis ball now surplus to requirements – and ones to enhance batting, bowling and fielding skills.
We’ve scoped the market for the best to help cricketers in the months coming months before the lighter nights of spring herald the new season
Here are some of the best balls to help you practice like the pros, boost skills and reinvigorate your love of the game.
Best balls at a glance
- Best for swinging ball: Duke County International - £56.35, Amazon
- Best for Australian experience: Kookaburra County Special - £26, Amazon
- Best for seam bowling: Reader's Gold 'A' - £15.95, Amazon
- Best long-lasting ball: AJ Crown Special - £30, AJ Sports
- Best for indoor play: Gray Nicolls Wobble Ball - £3.99, Owzat Cricket
- Best for the garden: GM Swing King - £4, Talent Cricket
- Best for perfecting seam position: Fortress Technique Cricket Ball - £7.99, Amazon
- Best stocking filler: Hunts County Skill Ball Set - £14.96, Amazon
- Best for batting skills: Swinga - £8, Fearnley Cricket Shop
- Best for junior play: Aero Club Ball - £6, Kent Cricket Direct
Shop now
Duke's County International
Best for: swinging ball
A classic known the world over. This weapon of a cricket ball is as synonymous with James Anderson as the lightsaber is with Luke Skywalker.
The quality is recognisable by looking at it or feeling it, expertly hand-sewn and stitched with a cherry-ripe finish. There's no guarantee the ball will hoop round corners when the clouds come over, but if you can't do so with the Duke, you probably can't do it at all.
Buy now £56.35, Amazon
Kookaburra County Special
Best for: Australian experience
What the Duke's ball is to English cricket, the Kookaburra is to Australia (since the Second World War, at least).
It is the brand that makes all the one-day international and T20 balls around the world. The gorgeous Kookaburra on the gum tree emblem is a mark of standard and even this budget County League version (which is available in pink, red and white) provides a ball with the renowned hardness, allowing it to keep its shape and pronounced seam to help movement off the pitch for fast bowlers.
Buy now £26.00, Amazon
Readers Gold ‘A’ Cricket Ball
Best for: seam bowling
If it is seam, rather than swing, that you’re after, Reader's Gold is the ball to go for, according to Kent Cricket Direct's Daniel Inkpen.
"It has a nice big seam, more pronounced than other balls," Inkpen said. "It means you can get more movement off the pitch and the big seam is good to grip for spinners as well."
The ball's durability makes it the choice of many clubs across the country.
Buy now £15.95, Amazon
AJ Crown Special Alum Tanned Cricket Ball
Best: long-lasting ball
The best seller of the AJ Sports collection. This great value ball is a sound alternative to market leaders Duke and Kookaburra.
The Special Alum Tanned leather ensures the ball retains its quality even after the lacquer, with the ball's traditional grease finish wears off. The incredibly robust cortex centre retains its shape even when under fire from the willow.
Buy now £30.00, AJ Sports
Gray Nicolls Wobble Ball
Best for: indoor play
If you’re searching for a cricket ball that can be played both inside and outside of the house (without wreaking havoc on the former), Gray-Nicholls’ wobble ball is your best bet.
Its completely unpredictable bounce makes for fun reaction games, especially for kids improving their fielding. It also ramps up the difficulty of batting in hall or corridor cricket, with the added bonus of being unlikely to cause damage to awnings and furniture should the batter manage to judge the bounce.
Buy now £3.99, Owzat Cricket
opttiuuq Swing Ball Cricket Training Ball
Best for: back garden
Half tennis ball, half pvc, this is a great ball for garden games.
It is unlikely to be the catalyst to a career with the new ball, but gives the experience of moving the ball if playing in a big enough backyard or in a field.
Even if the pitch is too small to turn the ball around corners, it is a great go-to for laidback games with the family and should be as big a part of back-garden cricket as one-hand, one-bounce and six-and-out rules.
Buy now £9.38, Amazon
Fortess Technique Cricket Ball
Best for: perfecting seam position
Keeping a good seam position is key when learning to bowl, pace or spin - it’s one of the things young players find hardest to master.
The Fortress ball gives little margin for error for bowlers looking to ensure they land the ball in the way which will be most effective when they are in the middle. It will lead to some frustration as kids see the ball bounce all over the shop, but also ensure they perfect the grip and release they have been taught and ultimately the right delivery.
Buy now £7.99, Amazon
Hunts County Skill Ball Set
Best for: stocking filler
A fine option when looking for a gift for the fledgling all-rounder.
The reflex ball will keep entertained for hours throwing against a wall and working on slip skills, with the reaction as unpredictable as the edge off the bat. The wind ball is perfect for thwacked against the same wall, or around the garden while the PU/Felt Ball gives a feel of holding the seam while trying to bowl pace or spin.
Buy now £14.96, Amazon
Swinga training ball
Best for: batting skills
A practice ball for young batters who are looking to improve their technique against swing bowling before their next time in the middle.
"It is for batters rather than bowlers, but a good training aid, helping them learn to play swing bowling," Inkpen said.
Its advantage is anyone you don't need quality bowling to get the batting experience with throwdowns from family members able to play the role as bowler.
Buy now £8.00, Fearnley Cricket
Aero Club Ball - Incrediball
Best for: junior play
As many innovations as there have been in cricket training, the wind ball remains as popular as ever when it comes to stepping up practice from the back garden. Yes, it will sting a little if hit by a pace bowler or off the bat if standing close enough, but it remains as close as you can get to a ball acting like a cricket ball, without the prospect of breaking bones.
‘Incrediball’ may be overhyping the product a little, but at budget pricing, you can’t ask for much more if you want to get pretty realistic cricket action without the need for pads.
Buy now £6.00, Kent Cricket Direct
