The cricket ball is a sturdy ball made of cork with a stitched seam that facilitates the ball’s movement after pitching. The bowler strives hard to makes this movement possible as they have to pitch it on a natural surface where the bounce can be difficult to predict and the distance to the batter is as long as 22 yards.
Bowlers aim to get wickets of the batters by bowling at lines and lengths that are difficult to play shots to. Line refers to the final direction of the ball’s trajectory after pitching. The ball can be bowled on the line away from the off stump, on the off stump, towards the middle stump, on the leg stump, or away from the leg stump.
The height of this ball is based on how much it bounces. This is also referred as length, based on where the ball pitched. Traditionally, these lengths were divided into three areas: full, good, and short. A full length delivery is pitches up near the batter. A good length is a ball that pitches slightly back of length and is nearly is the centre of the pitch. Short pitched deliveries usually bounce higher, almost travelling over the batter’s shoulders.
The most disciplined length delivery is the hard length. There is a very small area on the pitch wherein the ball has to pitch to qualify for the hard length. The name hard length is named so because this length is difficult for the batters to pick up. It falls between the tail of the good length and the helm of the short length area on the pitch.
When the ball pitches in this region, it rises gradually as it approaches the batter. The incoming trajectory often perplexes the batter, making them wonder whether they should opt to hit the ball or leave it. This length is best executed when it is bowled slightly outside the off-stump, which increases the chances of the batter knicking the ball to the wicketkeeper.
The hard length is usually in favour of the pace bowlers. It might not be the best option for spinners, who bowl at a markedly slower pace. Thus, though this length is rarely seen on the graphic card depicting various lengths, it is routinely mentioned and reported by cricket commentators and pundits.
