New Delhi: Sports and technology always go hand-in-hand. To make the games even more competitive and to make the on-screen action even more pleasurable to watch, new devices are introduced with every upcoming tournament.
After drone cameras, slow-motion replays and glowing stumps, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced ‘bat sensors’ as the sport’s latest innovation in the ongoing Champions Trophy in England.
Designed by technology giant Intel, these sensors will feed previously unseen precise details about a player’s bat speed and angle of back lift.
As reported by Cricket.com, providing more information to television audiences and developing a new coaching aid are the primary reasons behind this new addition.
Former England captain-turned-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.”
“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”, he added.
Each team will have up to five players using the technology in the tournament.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes and opener Alex Hales, India’s Rohit Sharma and Ravi Ashwin are among those who have agreed to use the devices.
Other innovations at the Champions Trophy include the use of 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.
Source: Zee News