Cricket-ball-red-madeinaustralia (cropped)

The quarter seam is a small join which runs around a

cricket ball A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. A cricket ball consists of a cork core wound with string then a leather cover stitched on, and manufacture is regulated by cricket law at first-class level. The trajectory of a crick ...

at 90 degrees to the main seam. Unlike the main seam, the quarter seam has no stitching and is not raised above the surface of the ball. It is produced during the manufacturing process by the boundary between two pieces of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

forming each half of the ball. Some fielding sides have been accused of deliberately interfering with the quarter seam, which would constitute illegal

ball tampering In the sport of cricket, ball tampering is an action in which a fielder illegally alters the condition of the ball. The primary motivation of ball tampering is to interfere with the aerodynamics of the ball to aid swing bowling. Definition Unde ...

Construction

Ball tampering

There have been accusations of

involving the quarter seam, which is against the

laws of cricket The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code which specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lond ...

and would constitute

cheating Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert rules in order to obtain unfair advantages. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given preference using inappropriate cr ...

. If fielding sides were to deliberately damage the quarter seam, it could alter the flow of air past the ball during a delivery, aiding

swing bowling Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling. The aim of swing bowling is to cause the ball to move in the ai ...

. Ball tampering with the main seam usually involves picking at the threads of its stitching to enhance conventional swing when the ball is only a few overs old. In contrast, lifting the quarter seam on one side of an older scuffed ball would produce

reverse swing Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling. The aim of swing bowling is to cause the ball to move in the ai ...

. A lifted quarter seam could potentially be pushed back to its normal position before the end of the over, when the ball is due to be inspected by the

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

. During the fourth Test between

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

in 2006, umpire

Darrell Hair Darrell Bruce Hair (born 30 September 1952) is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He stood on the International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and Ne ...

adjudged Pakistan to have tampered with the ball. Hair was seen pointing to the quarter seam while discussing the issue with his fellow umpire,

Billy Doctrove Billy Raymond Doctrove (born 3 July 1955) is a Dominica former international football referee, but is best known as an international cricket umpire. Career as a FIFA referee During his time as a referee Doctrove took charge of several internat ...

. The umpires imposed a five-run penalty and replaced the ball. Play continued until the end of the session, at which point Pakistan objected to the decision and refused to play on, forfeiting the match. The

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

subsequently upheld the umpires' decision and the result of the match, but banned Hair from umpiring in international cricket. The incident remains highly controversial.

References

{{reflist Cricket terminology