MEASURING SPIN CHARACTERISTICS OF A CRICKET BALL

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline an experimental procedure for measuring the spin rate and direction of spin axis of a cricket ball in flight. While the spin rate and horizontal direction of the spin axis are important for deviation upon impact with the ground, the lateral movement of the ball in the air requires a vertical elevation angle of the ball’s spin axis. Using three markers on the ball, a 3D Cortex motion analysis system was used to measure the vertical and horizontal components of the spin axis from six deliveries of ten bowlers of varying playing levels. Software was programmed to graphically display the magnitude and direction of the ball spin during the live capture, making it a potentially valuable performance analysis tool. The results show that bowlers had substantial differences in spin rate and spin axis orientation depending on their playing level.