Reply #20: It's a tennis ball - a real cricket ball can do very serious damage...

[rooboy]

cricket balls are only slightly larger than a baseball, a bit heavier, and they have a protruding seam around the cirumference of the ball which cuts into your skin. Getting hit in the ribs, arm or jaw by a fastly bowled cricket ball tends to break stuff - hence the heavy padding, helmets and gloves worn by batsmen.

If you ever see photos of someone playing cricket without being "padded up", they're not using a real ball.