Cork was an unheard term then. Rubber was too heavy and tennis was premium. So, it was just paper. Mostly, it would be an answer paper. On festival seasons, you got different varieties. Carefully rolled up with proper adjustments, it would end up as a ball. Yes, the early man's, sorry, child's, cricket ball.
It was the perfect opponent for the meat-faced bat - the exam pad. The sheer simplicity, affordability, durability made it the ICC (International Children's Cricket) standard till Std V. And then the rubber balls took over.
For generations, cricket experts have debated on the pros and cons of the rubber ball compared to the tennis ball. People rating body above money always went for the tennis ball as it would hit them softer. These instruments, were playable on almost any surface, including potholes-filled road on rainy days. However, it could inflict sizeable damage around, which included, the neighbourhood old man's three glass windows on the first floor or his bald head, whichever came nearer.
No ball was complete without accessories, at least not the balls played in the ultra-competitive nature of children's cricket. The base was always the handy insulation tape - its multi-coloured availability helped in the design aspect. In addition to that, there was always a unique style of placing these tapes on the ball by each ball designer, that would help in its identification among 100 other similar balls in the nearby drainage. Stickers, marker text would complete the design aspect, after which it would move for testing, which involved throwing/spinning it hard on various surfaces as the team of ball-analysis scientists listened painfully for any S-O-S calls from within.
Longevity of balls generally depended upon financial well-being of the players - when money was tough to come by, the ball would be retrieved even if it went to visit Bermuda's triangle. However, when the pocket money increased, a ball could easily escape, being hidden in one of the players' pockets.
Days have changed now. People now wear clothes contrasting with the ball's colour. They stuff cardboards all around their head, arms, legs and places which they consider vital. They play only on grass and need shoes to walk over it. They play only with well-shaped bats and well-shaped balls. They need huge lands too. Does the fun remain the same? Seems fun on TV. But, I play better with the exam pad.
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