An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking at a park. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a gray T-shirt and brown pants.

Nykeem says HEY EVERYONE,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB,
WHERE ONE PART SPORT
AND ONE PART SCIENCE
IS ONE FUN TIME.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Nykeem appears on screen standing in the middle of a road in an open field.

Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM, AND TODAY
WE'RE PLAYING CRICKET.

Suddenly Nykeem is dressed in all white.

Nykeem says BUT YOU WON'T HEAR
THIS SOUND...
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
ONLY THIS SOUND...
(HORN BLOWING,
CROWD CHEERING)
(FANFARE)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Cricket."

Nykeem appears on screen walking in the park.

Nykeem says CRICKET IS A BAT
AND BALL GAME.
A BOWLER TRIES TO
KNOCK OVER A WICKET
WHILE A BATTER TRIES TO
STOP THEM AND SCORE RUNS -
AND GAMES CAN LAST
FOR DAYS,
AND DAYS,
AND DAYS.

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She has straight, dark brown hair in a ponytail and wears a red shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

Dr. Heather says THAT'S RIGHT, NYKEEM,
AND WITH GAMES THAT LONG,
YOU CAN BET SCIENCE
PLAYS A PART.
THE VIBRATION
OF A CRICKET BAT,
THE ARC OF A BOWL,
AND THE FORCE OF
A WICKET BEING HIT
ALL MEAN THAT LEARNING
IS UP TO BAT.

Back in the park, Nykeem says SO BRING EXTRA SUITS.
SPORTS LAB IS ABOUT
TO BOWL YOU OVER!
YES!

Abraham appears on screen with a caption that reads "Abraham." Abraham has short dark hair, and wears a navy blue shirt that reads "Ontario Cricket."

Abraham says HI, MY NAME'S ABRAHAM KHOCHAR
AND I'M 12 YEARS OLD.

Clips of Abraham training for cricket appear on screen.

Abraham continues I'VE BEEN PLAYING CRICKET
FOR BASICALLY MY WHOLE LIFE.
CRICKET'S A COMPLICATED GAME,
BUT I'VE BEEN PLAYING
IT FOR SO LONG
THAT I KNOW IT LIKE
THE BACK OF MY HAND.

Nykeem walks up to Abraham on the field and Nykeem says HEY ABRAHAM,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

Abraham says HI, NYKEEM.

Nykeem says SO, I NEED SOMEONE TO
EXPLAIN CRICKET TO ME.
IS IT TRUE THAT WHEN
A BOWLER HITS A WICKET,
THE BATTER'S OUT?

Abraham says YEAH, THAT'S TRUE.
THERE'S TEN DIFFERENT WAYS
TO GET A BATTER OUT.

Nykeem says TEN?

Abraham says YEAH.

Nykeem says OKAY, SO YOU KNOW
YOUR CRICKET.
ARE THERE ANY
HISTORICAL FACTS
THAT YOU'VE BEEN
ITCHING TO LEARN?

Abraham says YEAH.
WHAT DID THEY USE AS BAT
AND BALLS IN THE BEGINNING?

Nykeem says THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IT'S TIME TO BATTER UP INTO
THE HISTORY OF CRICKET.
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Cricket."

Nykeem says CRICKET IS BELIEVED
TO HAVE STARTED
AS EARLY AS
THE 13TH CENTURY IN ENGLAND.
A CHILDREN'S GAME SAW COUNTRY
BOYS BOWLING WITH ROCKS
AND BATTING WITH STICKS.
THE WICKETS WERE
USUALLY TREE STUMPS.
IN THE 17TH CENTURY,
ADULTS BEGAN
TO TAKE NOTICE -
"BY JOVE!"
AND CRICKET SPREAD
ACROSS ENGLAND.
RULES WOULD TAKE FORM.
STICKS AND STONES
WERE REPLACED WITH
BATS AND BALLS.
RUMOUR HAS IT
THE NAME "CRICKET."
COMES FROM THE OLD
DUTCH WORD "KRICKE,"
MEANING BAT OR STAFF -
NOT THE POPULAR INSECT.

Back on the grassy field, Nykeem says THERE YOU HAVE IT,
ABRAHAM.
WOULD YOU RATHER PLAY
WITH BATS AND BALLS
OR ROCKS AND STICKS?

Abraham says BATS AND BALLS.

Abraham and Nykeem run across the grass and Nykeem says LET'S GO!

Now Delaine appears on screen with a caption that reads "Delaine." Delaine has straight, long black hair pulled in a ponytail, and wears a light purple T-shirt.

Delaine says MY NAME'S DELAINE, AND I'VE BEEN
PLAYING CRICKET FOR A YEAR.

Delaine and Abraham?s coach appears on screen as they practice and the coach says EXCELLENT SHOT.
NICE AND SOFT.
FIELDING!
HEY, GREAT WORK!

Delaine says I LOVE WHEN YOU'RE BATTING,
AND WHEN YOU CONNECT THE BALL,
AND YOU GET THAT FEELING
INSIDE OF YOU
THAT YOU'VE
ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING.

Clips of Delaine playing cricket appear on screen.

The coach says WE'RE GOING TO
PRACTICE BOWLING NOW.
REMEMBER, IT'S THE BOWLER'S
JOB TO GET THE BATTER OUT.

Nykeem tries to toss the cricket ball.

The coach says NOT BAD!
OH, THERE WE GO!

Nykeem tries to toss the ball to hit the target and says ARE YOU READY?

Nykeem misses and Abraham tosses the ball and hits the stick.

Nykeem says THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT.

Later, Nykeem sits on the grass with Delaine and Abraham.

Nykeem says HEY, GUYS.
HI, NYKEEM.
THANKS TO YOU TWO, I'M LEARNING
SO MUCH ABOUT CRICKET.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE
BOWLING MOVE?

Delaine says I LOVE
SWING BOWLING.

Nykeem says WHAT'S THAT?

Abraham says IT'S WHEN YOU MAKE THE BALL
MOVE SIDE TO SIDE IN MIDAIR.

Delaine says IT'S AWESOME,
BUT SOMETIMES I DON'T
REALLY UNDERSTAND.

Nykeem says IT SOUNDS LIKE A SWING BOWL
CAN PACK SOME SERIOUS PHYSICS.
I KNOW WHO TO CALL.
DOCTOR HEATHER!

Nykeem pulls out his phone and Dr. Heather appears on screen.

Back in the lab, Heather says HI, GUYS.
FOR THE BALL TO SWING,
IT MUST BE INTERACTING
WITH THE AIR AROUND IT.
BUT I'LL NEED TO SEE
A BOWL TO MAKE SURE.
I KNOW JUST THE PERSON
TO SHOW YOU THE ROPES -
OR RATHER,
THE WICKETS.

Back in the park, Nykeem says OKAY, THANKS DOC.
ALRIGHT...
FOLLOW ME!

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says POP QUIZ.
THE LONGEST CRICKET MATCH EVER
WAS IN 1939
BETWEEN ENGLAND
AND SOUTH AFRICA.
HOW LONG WAS IT?
A) SIX DAYS...
B) FOURTEEN DAYS...
OR C) IT'S STILL GOING!

A skeleton with a red cap says THE ANSWER IS B!
FOURTEEN DAYS -
AND THE GAME
ENDED IN A TIE.
MAYBE THEY SHOULD
HAVE KEPT PLAYING.

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Darius appears on screen with a caption that reads "Darius." Darius has short, straight dark hair, has beard stubble, and wears a T-shirt that reads "Ontario Cricket."

Darius says MY NAME IS DARIUS D'SOUZA,
AND I'VE PLAYED CRICKET
FOR ABOUT 14 YEARS NOW.

Clips of Darius training appear on screen.

Darius says CRICKET'S AMAZING.
IT'S A GREAT SPORT,
AND I LOVE IT.

Now Nykeem, Delaine, and Abraham walk over to Darius in the park.

Nykeem says HEY, DARIUS!

Darius says HEY.

Nykeem says THIS IS DELAINE
AND ABRAHAM.

Darius says HEY, GUYS.

Nykeem says DARIUS, YOU HAVE ANY
ADVICE FOR THESE TWO?

Darius says DEFINITELY.
KEEP WORKING HARD,
KEEP LEARNING,
AND CONTINUE TO
IMPROVE YOUR GAME.

Nykeem says OKAY, SO I HAVE A QUESTION.
WHAT IS THE LONGEST CRICKET
GAME YOU'VE PLAYED IN?

Darius says I'VE PLAYED
A THREE DAY GAME.
THREE DAYS?

Nykeem says I BET YOU BROUGHT
A SLEEPING BAG, RIGHT?
(LAUGH)

Darius says NO SLEEPING BAG, NO.

Nykeem says DO YOU MAKE ANY
CRICKET SOUNDS?

Darius says UH, NO, WE DON'T ACTUALLY MAKE A
CRICKET SOUNDS DURING THE GAME.

Nykeem says NOT EVEN LIKE THIS?
(IMITATES CRICKET)

Darius says NO, WE DON'T MAKE
SOUNDS LIKE THAT.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT GUYS,
LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS.
WHY DON'T YOU TELL HIM
WHAT WE NEED?

Delaine says CAN YOU TEACH US
HOW TO SWING BALL?

Darius says DEFINITELY.
JUST MAKE SURE THAT
YOUR FINGERS ARE PLACED
ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SEAM,
JUST LIKE THAT,
AND MAKE SURE
THAT BALL IS ANGLED
IN THE DIRECTION
YOU WANT IT TO GO.
LET ME SHOW YOU GUYS
HOW IT'S DONE.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT GUYS,
LET'S TAKE A STEP BACK.

Darius throws the ball at the orange sticks and hits the target right in the middle.

Nykeem says THAT WAS AWESOME!

Darius repeats the shot.

They all say WHOA!

Nykeem says AGAIN!

Nykeem pulls up Dr. Heather on his phone and says ALRIGHT,
LET'S CHECK INTO THE LAB...

Back in the lab, Dr. Heather says HEY, GUYS.
SO THIS IS WHAT I FOUND OUT.
THE REASON THAT DARIUS
SENDS THE BOWL SWINGING
IS THE DISRUPTION
OF AIRFLOW.
AND THAT'S ALL
ABOUT THE SEAM.
REMEMBER,
THE SEAM IS THE STITCHING
THAT STICKS OUT ALONG
THE MIDDLE OF THE BALL.
WHEN THE BALL IS BOWLED,
A LAYER OF AIR CALLED THE
"BOUNDARY LAYER" SURROUNDS IT.
ON ONE SIDE OF
THE BOUNDARY LAYER,
THE AIR IS SMOOTH,
BECAUSE IT MOVES OVER
THE SMOOTH BALL.
THAT'S CALLED
LAMINAR AIRFLOW.
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE,
THE SEAM TRIPS THE AIR,
MAKING IT ROUGH
AND DISTURBED.
THAT'S CALLED
TURBULENT AIRFLOW.
THE TURBULENT AIR MEANS
THAT THERE'S MORE DRAG
ON THE SIDE OF THE BALL
WITH THE SEAM,
WHICH MAKES THAT
SIDE TRAVEL SLOWER.
THE BALL CURVES
INTO THE DIRECTION
OF THE SLOWEST SIDE -
THE SIDE WITH THE SEAM.
THE TURBULENT SIDE IS DOMINANT,
OR MORE POWERFUL,
SO THE BALL SWINGS TO WHATEVER
SIDE THE SEAM IS POINTING.
YOU COULD SAY THAT
THE TURBULENT SIDE
IS THE BOSS OF THIS BOWL.
THE SWING IS IN THE SEAM -
AND THAT'S NO STICKY WICKET.
BACK TO YOU GUYS.

Back on the field, Nykeem says SO IT TURN OUT SWING BOWLING
IS ALL ABOUT AIRFLOW.
DARIUS, DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Darius says I DIDN'T, BUT THAT
MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

Nykeem says WHAT ABOUT YOU GUYS?

Abraham says THAT'S SO INTERESTING.

Delaine says THAT'S SO COOL!

Nykeem says OKAY, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE WHAT
WE LEARNED AND GIVE IT A TRY?

They both say YEAH!

Nykeem says ALRIGHT, YOU TWO UP.

Abraham tosses the ball and hits the target.
(OTHERS CHEERING)

Nykeem says GOOD JOB!
ALRIGHT DELAINE,
YOU'RE UP.

Delaine tosses the ball and hits the target.

(music plays)

Nykeem says WOO!
SO I HEARD IN CRICKET,
YOU HUDDLE TO CELEBRATE.
LET'S DO IT!

They all huddle, jump, and say GO... SPORTS LAB!
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem appears on screen and says BOWLING IN CRICKET
AND PITCHING IN BASEBALL
HAVE ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE.
FOR CENTURIES,
BENDING YOUR ELBOW WAS
NOT ALLOWED IN CRICKET.
IN 2005,
IT WAS DISCOVERED
THAT IS ACTUALLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO BOWL
A CRICKET BALL
WITH A COMPLETELY
STRAIGHT ARM.
THE HUMAN EYE
COULDN'T TELL THAT
PLAYERS' ARMS WERE BENDING
FOR ALL THOSE YEARS.
THE RULES HAVE CHANGED,
AND NOW UPWARDS OF
15 PERCENT BEND IS ALLOWED.
BECAUSE OF SCIENCE, THAT'S
NO LONGER BENDING THE RULES.

Back on the field, Nykeem walks over with his gear and Delaine and Abraham toss him the ball as he practices.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT,
THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD,
BUT LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO
WITH ME UP TO WICKET.
TOO MUCH SWING, ABE!

Delaine says WATCH THIS ONE, NYKEEM!

Nykeem says YOU HIT MY WICKET AGAIN!
(ALL IMITATING CRICKETS)

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Darius appears on screen at the park and says WHEN FIELDING AND
CATCHING IN CRICKET,
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO HAVE SOFT HANDS.
I CATCH A LOT OF
TENNIS BALLS OVER AND OVER
TO TRY AND DEVELOP
THOSE SOFT HANDS.
HAVING THOSE SOFT HANDS
IN AN END-GAME SCENARIO
REALLY HELPS YOU MAKE SURE
THE BALL DOESN'T BOUNCE OUT OF
YOUR HAND AS IT HITS YOUR HAND.
MY NAME IS DARIUS,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.

Delaine appears on screen and says I HAD SO MUCH FUN
PLAYING CRICKET TODAY.

Darius makes a chirping noise.
(CRICKET CHIRP)

Delaine continues I LEARNED A LOT
ABOUT AIRFLOW TODAY.

Darius says (CHIRP) I'M DARIUS,
AND THAT'S MY CRICKET SOUND.

Abraham chirps.
(CHIRP)

Nykeem walks on the grassy field and says THERE'S SO MUCH TO LEARN
WHEN IT COMES TO CRICKET.
TODAY WE FOUND OUT
THAT TURBULENT AIR
MOVES FASTER
THAN LAMINAR AIR
AND A GOOD SWING BOWL CAN
MAKE A CRICKET BATTER CHIRP.
I'M OUT OF HERE,
BUT NOT FOR LONG -
BECAUSE IN THE SPORTS LAB,
WE'RE ALWAYS YEARNING
FOR MORE LEARNING.
SPORTS LAB!

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.