White cricket balls more likely to spread COVID-19 than red balls, study finds

The report that looked into the risk of COVID-19 transmission from sharing sports equipment concluded that that risk is “lower than once thought.” Compared to equipment used in other sports, such as rugby balls and racing saddles, the study found that red cricket balls posed less of a risk of transmission.

Dr Emily Adams, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “Anything that is slightly absorbent like a tennis ball or some of the leathery cricket balls, it’s very difficult to transfer any live virus off those. So we think that transmission from sports equipment is probably very low in these cases.”

That said, the report stated that white balls pose a heightened risk of transmission compared to red balls. It read: “Despite the white and red cricket ball surfaces both being composed of bovine leather, the different coatings used to finish the surfaces (synthetic grease on the red ball, nitrocellulose on the white ball) had a noticeable effect on viral recovery, with the red ball having a lower level.”

Researchers also found that “close contact” between players is more likely to spread the virus than sharing equipment. The report stated: “During non-contact sports such as cricket and soccer the risk of transmission is considered very low because only fleeting incursions of social distancing are seen.” In 2020, Boris Johnson infamously called a cricket ball, a “natural vector of disease.”