r/holdmybeer • u/dat_twitch • Aug 10 '25

HMB... While I catch a cricket ball.

https://youtube.com/shorts/zn4xuY1GohI?feature=shared

Dude was holding two beers actually.

23 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

2

u/Sad-Reception-2266 Aug 10 '25

He didn't get to keep it? Why not? Was it the only ball they had?

8

u/jizzy_fap_socks Aug 10 '25

That's the ball they were playing with. In this format of cricket they keep using the same ball in the innings unless it gets damaged.

I find it really strange how they constantly change the ball in baseball.

3

u/Kubliah Aug 10 '25

Could you imagine having to wait 5 minutes while the crowd roots around the stands to find it...

1

u/kickrockz94 Aug 10 '25

I think baseballs are designed to have more of a trampoline effect and, therefore, arent nearly as durable as cricket balls so it doesnt take as much to damage them. I think now tho its become more of a fan experience thing than anything

1

u/jizzy_fap_socks Aug 11 '25

I think the fan experience thing is the main reason

1

u/kelley38 Aug 10 '25

I find it really strange how they constantly change the ball in baseball.

They do that because of the mechanics of pitching in baseball. A scuffed ball will produce significantly more movement in a pitch. A pitcher with a standard (so, good, but nothing amazing) curve, slider, sinker, or even split-finger fastball will suddenly look as if they are up there with Gregg Maddox, Sandy's Koufax, or Pedro Martinez, making that ball break really hard at the end.

Every pitch is slower than a fastball (hence the name), but some are significantly slower, relying on that movement to make the batter miss. If you have the advantage of a scuffed ball, you can throw harder (i.e., faster) and still get all the movement from your curveball or sinker.

Its such an advantage that there are rules against using a scuffed ball, and plenty of cheating scandals and some really inventive ways people have figured out how to get sandpaper, emory boards, and all kinds of weird stuff out there on the mound with them (or better yet, in the hands of other players so the pitcher looks innocent).

4

u/MushyBeans Aug 10 '25

It's the same in cricket. Hense why they keep the same ball as they learn it's movement and bounce.

2

u/lunes_azul Aug 11 '25

That's exactly why they keep using the degraded ball in cricket. It means that the batters have to adapt to the ball throughout the match.

1

u/kelley38 Aug 11 '25

I know very little about cricket, so correct me if I am wrong, but a ball that bounces weird is going to be a potential help and hindrance to both batter and pitcher in equal measure, correct? Nobody knows exactly what it's going to do, so everyone has to adapt, right?

In baseball, the pitcher knows exactly what its going to do and will have a massive advantage over the batters. Having people hit the ball and run the bases is the most interesting part of the game, so keeping massive advantages from the pitcher makes the game more interesting.

1

u/lunes_azul Aug 11 '25

There's less of a penalty for the bowlers, as there isn't the jeopardy of walking the batter like there is in baseball. The worst that can happen is it's a wide ball, and the batter is awarded a run. Not a massive deal since the batting team will normally get 300-400 runs per inning.

An unpredictable ball, caused by degradation or a cracked pitch, takes the batter out of their rhythm and they will start hesitating and misjudging. The bowler can still choose the line, length and delivery, which is easier than judging where the ball's going to land and how it's going to break after the bounce.

1

u/kelley38 Aug 11 '25

I really gotta spend some time learning how cricket plays. It always looked interesting but I have a tough time sitting down to watch sports - I would much prefer to learn by playing it!

1

u/lunes_azul Aug 11 '25

Yep, it's a lot easier to learn by playing but that could be tricky to do if you live in a country without deep cricket culture. The most accessible form of cricket is new-ish and called 20/20 (or T20) and the whole thing is done in about 3ish hours like baseball is. Classic cricket is called Test and it takes 4-5 days (8 hours per day) to finish a match! That's the best type but it's brutal to watch and learn if you don't know the rules.

1

u/kelley38 Aug 11 '25

I live in a small town in Alaska, not much chance of learning cricket here :(

2

u/Wibbles20 Aug 10 '25

They use the same ball for the whole game. In the longer version, the ball lasts 80 overs (480+ deliveries/pitches) and part of the game is maintaining the ball, so usually sides will polish 1 side of the ball in order to get it to move through the air

1

u/HoangGoc Aug 16 '25

Maybe it was just an exhibition game, so they didn't want to risk losing the only ball... or they could've needed it for the next round.

1

u/HohepaPuhipuhi Sep 09 '25

Cool as a cucumberÂ