The use of technology in cricket has increased remarkably over the last few years. There are drone shots, instant slow-motion replays, wickets that start glowing once there’s contact with the ball and what not! But, the ICC is still pushing the envelope ahead with every coming tournament.
This Champions Trophy tournament will see players use small sensors on bat handles that will feed previously unseen data to viewers in sport’s latest innovation. Technology giant Intel. has developed this sensor and it’ll be placed on top of the bat handle. It provides previously unseen precise details about a player’s bat speed and angle of back lift.
This will provide more information to television audiences and, longer term, develop a coaching aid. According to a report in Cricket.com, former England captain turned cricket commentator Nasser Hussain told a news conference at The Oval:
How many times have we spoken about people having ‘fast hands’ or ‘great bat speed’? But what does that mean? We’ve never quantified it.
There are up to five players from each team expected to be using the technology in the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma and Ravi Ashwin are among those to confirm they will use the devices. Hussain believes that this technology would’ve helped him if it was available back in the day.
When I first played for England, I had never really seen myself on television. I remember playing in Jamaica, getting out and walking through the hotel lobby and Geoffrey Boycott shouting at me ‘Hussain, you’ll never get any runs with that open bat face’. Something like this can show you the exact angle of your bat.
Meanwhile, in other innovations at the Champions Trophy there are drones to provide more in-depth pitch analysis and a virtual reality system that allows fans to don a headset and ‘face’ the world’s best bowlers.
Thank you ICC, we really want to see India beating Pakistan in the best of technologies possible. #BleedingBlue