
Perfect Over: the craft behind cricket
A top flight cricket ball’s life is hard-earned and short. It ‘lives’ for one day, and that is its place in life. And even before its brief time in the spotlight the ball is hung, soaked, stretched and stitched.

The Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) factory in Meerut has a monopoly on quality balls in India. The best balls find their way into the hands of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Domestic bowlers also use them and most school cricket is played with SG balls. Some forms of cricket are profligate with balls. Others, at the lower end, are less so. The idea at SG is to make it last for as long as possible; to ensure that it holds its shape and serves the bowlers’ interest for as long as possible. That is why it takes 75 days to create a single cricket ball.
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The Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) factory in Meerut has a monopoly on quality balls in India. The best balls find their way into the hands of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Domestic bowlers also use them and most school cricket is played with SG balls. Some forms of cricket are profligate with balls. Others, at the lower end, are less so. The idea at SG is to make it last for as long as possible; to ensure that it holds its shape and serves the bowlers’ interest for as long as possible. That is why it takes 75 days to create a single cricket ball.
Want to read more of this article?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. We know our readership is passionate about textiles, so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories, and histories that fabric holds. Your support allows us to publish our magazine, and also ‘what's on’ information, and subscription interviews, reviews, and long-read articles in our online blog.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
OR...to continue reading….

*Magazine subscribers automatically get free access to all our online content. We send the access code by email with the publication of each issue. You will also find it on the envelope containing your magazine. Please note the access code changes every issue.*