How to maintain a cricket ball during the match !

1) Keep ONE side shiny

Rule: You can only shine the ball using sweat or saliva (but saliva is banned in many leagues now), and your clothing.

How to do it properly

  • Pick one side from the start as the “shiny side”

  • Every over, rub that side on your trouser thigh or shirt

  • Don’t keep changing sides — consistency creates swing

  • Keep the seam upright while rubbing (helps shape)

✅ Best: sweat + fabric
❌ Don’t use water, sunscreen, oil, dirt, chewing gum (illegal)

✅ 2) Protect the seam

The seam is the ball’s “steering wheel”.

Tips

  • Don’t throw the ball onto the pitch

  • Avoid rolling it on hard ground

  • Fielders should return the ball on the bounce (not flat throws)

  • Don’t let it hit concrete, boundary boards, or metal fences

✅ 3) Handle it with clean hands

  • Avoid greasy hands (after snacks / energy gels)

  • Don’t wipe your hands with oily sunscreen then rub the ball

If you’re using sunscreen, keep it away from the ball side.

✅ 4) Wipe off moisture quickly

Moisture kills swing and ruins the leather.

What to do

  • After every ball: wipe it dry

  • Use towel only if your league allows it (usually yes if it’s to dry)

  • If outfield is wet, keep ball away from grass as much as possible

✅ 5) Keep it away from rough surfaces

Common mistakes:

  • Keeping it in the grass too long

  • Tossing it around on dry dusty ground

  • Letting it scrape on synthetic wickets or matting edges

✅ 6) Smart fielding habits (team discipline)

Give your team these habits:

  • Don’t step on the ball

  • Don’t chuck it to keeper along the ground

  • Don’t “drag” it back after stopping

  • Always pick it up cleanly and throw it properly

✅ 7) Know what’s legal vs illegal

Legal

✅ Rubbing on clothing
✅ Using sweat
✅ Drying with towel (for moisture)

Illegal tampering

❌ Scratching with nails
❌ Using bottle caps / zip / tape
❌ Applying substances (Vaseline, oil, dirt deliberately)
❌ Picking at the seam
❌ Using saliva if banned in your competition

Even small things can get you penalised.

🎯 Simple match routine (best practice)

Here’s the easy routine you can follow every over:

✅ After each ball:

  1. Pick ball cleanly

  2. Wipe dirt off lightly

  3. Rub shiny side on thigh for 5–10 seconds

  4. Return ball to bowler with seam protected

Bonus: How to get more swing

  • Shiny side facing leg side for outswing (for right-arm bowler to right-hand batter)

  • Keep seam straight

  • Bowl full-ish length

  • Don’t over-polish the “rough side” — let it rough naturally