Quarter seam

Some fielding sides have been accused of deliberately interfering with the quarter seam, which would constitute illegal ball tampering.

There have been accusations of ball tampering involving the quarter seam, which is against the laws of cricket and would constitute cheating.

If fielding sides were to deliberately damage the quarter seam, it could alter the flow of air past the ball during a delivery, aiding swing bowling.

In contrast, lifting the quarter seam on one side of an older scuffed ball would produce reverse swing.

A lifted quarter seam could potentially be pushed back to its normal position before the end of the over, when the ball is due to be inspected by the umpires.