Cricket Turns To Tech Giants Intel, SAP To Power-Up Another Revolution

Cricket is taking the help of tech giants such as Intel and SAP to bring in data analytics, drones and bat sensors to make the game more exciting and accurate.

What can change in a sport that is played for three centuries with many of the same rules? Not much, many would say. But in addition to changing formats, the sport has been undergoing a technological transformation, and cricket is no different. While not as radical as video games, companies like Intel and SAP are helping cricket with technology that can help players, coaches, teams, referees and the sport itself.

None of this is new to cricket, but many of the technological innovations have been making the sport more interactive for fans. In addition, most of them have been bowler's end and for the sake of accuracy. Snickometer has been used since the mid-1990s to graphically analyze sound and video, and show whether a snick or fine noise occurs when the ball passes the bat. The Hawk-Eye ball tracking system, introduced in 2001, found no place in the sport until 2008, when technology was adopted as a means for a referral. Similarly, Hot Spot, an infrared imaging system to determine whether the ball hit the batter, bat or pad, was used in 2006, but was considered for the reference system only in 2008, with many countries not having the Tools to implement it.

More recently, SAP has introduced technology to help fans simplify match analysis and provide ball-and-ball data and information. However, SAP is looking at the advanced uses of its tool. In a break from the usual bowler culture and accuracy, he wants teams to look for this data to better train and manage victories using data analysis. "Now your athletes can also be" digital, "if they can make sense to millions of pieces of data flowing from laptops, sensors, and other data sources fast enough to improve Performance, "the company said.

And SAP is not the only company announcing this change. In the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy, Intel, along with the launch of smart-wearables based in Bengaluru, Speculur got bats sensors and drones to reach cricket, introducing the technology from the perspective of a batter for the first time. The bat sensors reveal how a batter played the ball. The technology, BatSense, incorporates accelerometers, a gyroscope and a wireless transmitter, allowing you to transmit data to the comment box especially from stick angles to the speed of the stroke. The Drones, on the other hand, provide a pitch report, allowing Dean Martin to go on the field.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson welcomes the initiative by stating that innovations "are like nothing we've seen in sport before," but Intel has more in the box. "We will be deploying a variety of technology at the event as part of our ongoing effort to bring a new level of data analysis to sports and revolutionize the way athletes train," said James Carwana, general manager, Intel Sports Group. "Scouts are evaluating talent and fans are enjoying sports."

Sensors may not be restricted to bat only. Just like in soccer, some companies are also trying to get sensors on the ball to give an accurate analysis of the catch near the limits and speed. There is also talk of incorporating them into the fold to detect if a bowler pitched a no-ball.

More importantly, wearable technology is also catching on. Baseball is demonstrating technology where players have to wear sleeves that can predict arm speed. Based on this, a group of Pakistani engineers have developed a sleeve that can detect chucking-an illegal bowling action. Called CricFlex, the case can be used to detect invalid deliveries as well as to correct play styles. It will not be surprising that we soon see players who use heart sensors to detect their levels of emotion at crucial moments and to bet on those who are calm in a crisis.

The losing side

Players and sports will certainly benefit from the changes, the losing side will be the referee. So far, they have ordered an estimated position in the field. Reviewing the decisions and extensive use of third-party referees - the one behind the screens - has helped them, but as more technology infiltrates, they will become less important and, to some extent, replaceable. Why does a match need two referees? The referee's leg is likely to go when one can do the job.

The new moneyball?

But would the data make cricket the new moneyball? Probably not, while data analysis is important and coaches look at the averages, the game will still be heavily reliant on guts. A computer can not tell you when to steal a race, or if you want to risk it ending or not. More importantly, as in baseball, there will be many to withstand the new changes. Many believe that a computer can not teach you what the experience can. That may be true, but a computer can teach you more than your trainer knows. Whether cricket becomes analytical dependent or not, we are certainly in a better generation of players.