Can Non Leather Cricket Balls Become The Norm?

Cricket is a game of values and tradition, long hot summer days, families drinking Pimms and watching leather on willow. This may not be the case for much longer as one of these are under threat from animal rights activists. Cricket balls are traditionally made from cow hide of varying qualities. Peta India, the animal rights group, are calling on the ICC to ban cricket balls made from cow hide and replace them with synthetic covered cricket balls. A large demonstration took place outside the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, to get fans to back the movement. Cow hide is used to cover the cricket ball, in Australia and the UK, (Readers cricket balls were produced from the cow hides from Scotland) the hide is used after all of the meat has be sent off to butcher i.e. the hide is just one part of the cow that is used. In India, Peta claim cows are marched for days to slaughter without food or water and they are then being skinned and dismembered, often while still conscious. This is clearly wrong and inhumane. Cruelty to animals will never be tolerated but, rather than ban the use of cow hide in the production of cricket balls, money and education could be spent by the ICC to raise awareness of the cows plight, in these cases. It would be wise to invest in the quality of life for the cow, prior to slaughter, than to ban the use completely.