Cheating and Physics in Cricket

The international sports world was recently rocked when the Australian cricket team was caught cheating during a test match against South Africa.  A bowler was filmed roughening up a ball with what appeared to be sandpaper.  It is nearly impossible to compete on the elite stages of sport and not have every move filmed with high-definition video.  I discussed the physics of cricket, specifically the aerodynamics of the ball in flight and how cheating leads to "reverse swing," on tonight's episode of StarTalk's Playing with Science.  Click on the link below for the episode.

• Season 3, Episode 11 (April 11, 2018):  Breaking the Rules -- The Physics & Psychology of Cheating

I love talking about the physics of sports, but I hate it that a cheating scandal prompted my participation.  Honesty is of paramount importance to me and I hate to see cheating in sport.  If you can't quite reach the mountaintop, train harder!  If you still can't reach the mountaintop and you've done your best, accept the fact that not everyone can be #1 at the same time.  There are worse things in the world than being the 10th best cricket bowler or 5th best home run hitter or 15th best cyclist.

I do hope you enjoy the episode.  I had a blast talking cricket physics.  I even had my own cricket ball to use for demonstrations!