The normal impact of a cricket ball on a cricket pitch

The surface on to which a bowler projects a ball in the game of cricket is termed the pitch and is the source of great concerns to players, commentators and spectators alike. The pitch is carefully prepared strip of natural turf of fundamental importance to play of the game. In order to ascertain why the cricket ball rebound varies from pitch to pitch, a study was conducted to further the understanding of the cricket ball impact. The cricket ball impact is oblique and previous studies have shown both the ball and pitch to deform significantly during impact. This study presents a normal impact model capable of simulating both the deformation of the ball and the pitch. The model provides a firm platform on which the more complex oblique impact may be considered. High speed video measurements validated the normal impact model on both a first class cricket pitch and soft artificial surface.