Tennis ball cricket facts for kids
Tennis ball cricket is a variant of cricket, played using a tennis ball. It is very popular in South-Asian cricket playing nations such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Sri-Lanka and Nepal.It is also played by South-Asian expatriates living in Middle-Eastern countries such as the UAE, Oman, Bahrain Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and by emigrants in the United States and Canada. It is mainly played by youngsters as a tennis ball is easier to play with compared to a conventional hard cricket ball. It is also safer as the tennis ball is soft and less likely to cause injury.
Rules and playing style
In this game a more difficult version of tennis ball is used. The number of overs in the game varies from six to twenty-five. Considering that the ball is not as hard as the professional cricket ball, the use of protective gear like gloves, pads and helmets is optional. In most cases in this form sometimes, the ground may be a street or a compound. In such scenarios there may be a rule of pitching catch or inside house out etc. The tennis balls used in this game in India is NODENS, Cosco or Vicky. In other countries, such as the U.S. and Canada, they use Wilson or Slazenger. This is the only form of cricket where the rules of real cricket do not apply as they normally would.
Tournaments and competitions
As the tennis ball cricket games are shorter versions when compared to the first-class matches or ODIs, they are especially suited to recreational weekend play. In South Asian cities and villages, it is usually played out on the streets and roads or on agricultural fields. In the Middle Eastern countries, it is usually played in the open desert, while in the USA and Canada, baseball diamond grounds are utilized.
Players
Many international cricketers start their journey as a tennis ball cricketer. Sunil Gavaskar used to play gully cricket and that's the reason of him scoring more in the 'V' region on field. Kedar Jadhav climbed up the ranks playing years of tennis ball tournament .
