13 Technologies Used in Cricket And Not Used in Other Sports

The Covid-19 pandemic triggered technological advancements in all walks of life.

Technology and Data are changing the world around us every day and cricket is no different.

Through various technologies, the game we all love and cherish is becoming a lot more enjoyable.

Cricket is currently using a lot of technologies to keep innovating the game and improving the spirit of the game and excitement for its spectators.

So let’s dive into the top technologies used in the sport of cricket and how they’re effective in their own way.

Top Technologies Used in Cricket

Technologies have made the game of cricket more entertaining and have also made it easier for the coaches to analyse player and team performances to come up with better strategies.

Here’s a list of the top technologies used in Cricket:

• Edge Detection
• Ball Tracking
• Smart Bails
• Bird’s Eye View
• Drones
• Graphics and animations
• Power Analysis
• Speed Gun
• Front Foot Technology
• Pitch Vision
• Decision Review System(DRS)
• Smart Ball
• Snick-o-meter

1. Edge Detection

Edge Detection or Ultra Edge works on frequencies of the sound to figure out whether the ball made contact with the bat before being caught by the bowling team. 

It has created a lot of impact on the game by reversing the umpire’s decision whenever used and has helped in maintaining a more fair game.

2. Ball Tracking

Ball Tracking is used to define the trajectory of the ball, and works through a series of cameras taking pictures of the ball at 1/100ths of a second.

The images are then used to define the trajectory of the ball through the triangulation method which in turn helps umpires with close LBW calls.

3. Smart Bails

Smart Bails are used in the game which glows whenever the balls make contact and the bails lose contact with the stumps.

The bails light up within 1/1000th of a second which helps the umpires make accurate Run out and stumpings decisions.

4. Bird’s Eye View

Bird’s eye view or Spidercam is the camera used in the matches which are suspended through kevlar wires and can move with regard to all three dimensions.

This helps the audience view the match from new angles and helps them view the entire field making the game more entertaining and connected.

5. Drones

Drones are used to capture Video of the entire field and gain a top view of the entire field with a 360-degree view of the field.

Drones help capture the game from the ground level to the skyline view making the game a lot more entertaining for the viewers.

6. Graphics & Animations

Graphics & Animations are added to the game to make it more interesting and interactive for the audience and make it easier for them to understand the various tricky concepts of the game.

They are also used to analyse the skills, tactics and performance of players and teams, which they can further use to look for areas of improvement.

7. Power Analysis

Power Analysis of every shot is done using ultra-light sensors attached to the back of the bat to help analyse the various aspects like power, angle, and impact of the ball of the bat.

Power Analysis also keeps the audience interested in seeing the variable power of their favourite cricketers against different bowlers.

8. Speed Gun

Speed Gun is used in the game to determine the speed of the balls bowled by a bowler.

This allows bowlers to keep track of their bowling speed and make suitable changes accordingly

9. Front Foot Technology

Front Foot technology is used to determine whether the bowler has stepped over the line during the delivery of the ball.

It used to be done after every wicket but now the technology is fast enough that it can be done for every ball.

10. Pitch Vision

Pitch Vision is used to monitor the ball’s length and bounce rate.

This technology is useful for bowlers during their practice sessions as now they can make adjustments in their run up and bowling action in order to bowl at accurate length and line. 

It also plays a major role for the batters as it enables them to monitor the different types of shots they can play against different variations of balls.

11. Decision Review System (DRS)

The Decision Review System helps umpires make better decisions using various technologies available to them.

From the bowling team, only the captain can claim for the review while from the batting team the striker on command can claim the review.

The DRS takes into account various technological tools to re-evaluate the decision made by the umpire. Some of the tools used in DRS system are:

1. Ball Tracking
2. Snick-o-meter
3. Front-foot technology
4. Smart bails

All of these have been explained above. 

12. Smart Ball

A smart ball is similar to Power analysis as it uses the same technology to provide information.

Smart balls help in the analysis of ball speed and how the ball is bouncing on a particular pitch.

13. Snick-o-meter

A Snick-o-meter is a tool used to graphically show whether the ball hit the bat or not, and is really useful in detecting close nicks to the bat.

The technology was developed in 1999 and has helped a lot of umpires with the decision of being caught behind the wicket.

Conclusion

The game will experience a lot more new technologies by the year 2030, such as retractable roofs, sensors, compression garments and many more.

All these advancements will increase the fun of watching our favourite game of cricket and make the entire experience more fun and engaging.

These advances have helped the game be a lot fairer and have also increased the unbiased nature of the game through the use of technology.

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