Buy it for: The everyday ball for every machine and feeder here. Dimpled 60 g PU, premium grade, six to a pack — buy more than one pack if you do not enjoy collecting.
Not for: Anyone wanting the weight of a real cricket ball off the pitch.
Buying guide
Which ball for which machine?
Machine balls, tennis balls and weighted rubber balls do different jobs, and one of them will not fit your machine. Compared on weight, material and compatibility.
This is the category where the wrong purchase is most likely, because the balls look similar and the compatibility is not obvious. Two of these are fed through a machine, one is thrown by hand, and one fits a 3D Trainer but not a Trainer Pro.
Match the ball to the machine, then to the drill
Every machine here takes a 60 g PU ball, so that is the default and the one to buy first. The 145 g balls are regulation cricket-ball weight and come in three bounces — they are for replicating a surface, not for a feeder. The tennis balls fit the 3D Trainer and nothing else. The weighted rubber balls never go near a machine.
Side by side
| 3D Light Bowling Machine Balls — pack of 6 $49.00 | 3D Sports Tennis Cricket Balls — pack of 6 $24.00 | 3D 145gm Bowling Machine Balls $120.00 | 3D Rubber Weighted Training Balls $24.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 60 g | — | 145 g | 250 g, 400 g, 500 g, 600 g, 700 g |
| Material | PU | Light tennis | PU | Solid rubber |
| Pack | 6 | 6 balls | 12 | 6 |
| Fits | All feeder and light ball machines | 3D Trainer | — | — |
| Note | Dimpled | 3D Trainer Pro | High, standard and low | — |
Which one, and who for
Buy it for: Juniors and timing work through a 3D Trainer. Light, slow off the surface and the cheapest way to fill a session.
Not for: The 3D Trainer Pro — they do not fit it. Check which machine you own first.
Buy it for: Replicating a surface. At regulation 145 g with high, standard and low bounce options, it is the closest a machine ball gets to a real one — high for Australian pitches, low for wet or subcontinent conditions.
Not for: Feeders. Twelve to a pack and dearer, this is a considered buy for a machine rated to take them.
Buy it for: Overload work for throwing arms and hands. Solid rubber in five weights from 250 g to 700 g, with the size and grip of a cricket ball.
Not for: Feeding through anything. These are hand-thrown and will damage a machine.
Questions
What balls does a cricket bowling machine use?
A 60 g dimpled PU ball is the standard for the machines and feeders here, and the 3D Bowler also accepts 3D light balls. Heavier 145 g machine balls are made for machines rated to take them and replicate the bounce of a real surface.
Can I use tennis balls in a bowling machine?
Only in some. The 3D Sports tennis cricket balls fit the 3D Trainer but are not compatible with the 3D Trainer Pro. Using a ball a machine is not rated for risks jamming the feed.
What are weighted training balls for?
Overload training. Solid rubber balls from 250 g to 700 g, in the size and grip of a cricket ball, used for throwing and catching drills to build arm strength. They are thrown by hand and never fed through a machine.