How Technological Advances Are Shaping the Game of Cricket?

The game of cricket has been an integral part of the culture of many countries around the globe, and it has evolved over the centuries. At the same time, technology has shaped and influenced it in various ways. 

The evolution of technology has enabled the game to become more efficient, more accessible, and more enjoyable. From the use of advanced equipment to the development of software and applications, technology in cricket made the game more enjoyable and exciting for players and spectators alike. 

In this article, we will explore the various advanced technology in cricket that has shaped the game and how it has helped to make it the popular sport it is today.

How Have Advances in Technology Affected The Game Of Cricket

• Hawk-Eye technology

Starting with likely the most well-known, Hawk-Eye technology is frequently utilised in sports such as cricket, tennis, soccer, badminton, and other outdoor sports for visually monitoring the ball and presenting a statistical course through a movie image. 

In cricket, this technology depicts the ball's trajectory after being thrown from the bowler's hand. It was first employed in 2001 to follow the trajectory and is utilised in adjudicating LBW judgments and making the television broadcast more participatory.

Hawk Eye technology assists the umpire by tracking where the ball was pitched, the position of collision with the batter's leg, and projecting the ball's route past the batsman. 

It is an essential tool for cricket commentators worldwide to corroborate umpire decisions, and it is often regarded as an objective second view in cricket.

• Usage Of Snickometer

The technology, commonly called Sniko, is used in cricket to analyse sound and video and display the noise frequency to identify whether the ball touched the bat before moving to the fielder, even slightly, to determine if he was out. 

Snickometer, first presented in the mid-1990s, has since become a vital device for determining whether or not the ball contacted the bat. Third Umpires utilise the Snickometer only when a rugged catch appeal is referred to them by ground empires. The form of the frequency assists the umpire in determining if the ball made contact with the bat on its route to the wicketkeeper. 

This technology is solely used to provide television viewers with extra information and illustrate whether or not the ball truly hit the bat.

• Making Advantage Of A Hotspot

The hot spot was introduced when the Snickometer was deemed insufficiently accurate. It is a technology that uses infrared imaging to assess where the ball has struck before it is passed to the fielder. The infrared picture displays a bright area where the ball's contact friction has raised the local temperature. 

HotSpot technology is used to improve the accuracy of on-field umpire decision-making and is now employed in the Umpire Decision Review System.

• Utilisation of Speed/Radar Gun

In numerous Hollywood films, you would have seen a speed gun, sometimes known as a radar speed gun, being utilized by law enforcement authorities to assess the speed of any fast-moving vehicle (Fast & Furious Series, being the most obvious). 

Similarly, in cricket, this technique is used to compute the pace of a bowler's delivery by measuring the speed of the ball from one end of the pitch to the other. 

This technology, which was first used in 1999, tells us who the fastest bowler was and what the player's fastest speed was while setting the record. The gadget detects movement throughout the full length using Doppler's Shift and relays a beam from the radar head.

The major advantage of a radar gun is that it is instantaneous and records the speed of the ball as it goes through it. This is why, in each cricket match, the speed is displayed on the screen as soon as the bowler balls the delivery. The cannon works well and aids in determining the fastest feasible speed for the bowl.

• Usage of Spidercam

The SpiderCam allows film and television cameras to travel vertically and horizontally over a predetermined area, generally a sporting event's playing surface, such as a cricket pitch. 

The SpiderCam device enables a gyro-stabilized camera carrier to reach anywhere on the cricket field, smoothly floating above the pitch, players, fans, and ground to get some beautiful images. 

This technology is a dream come true for match directors. It permits them to liven up otherwise uninteresting situations. Boring photos of bowlers heading back to their marks or batters cleaning up the ground may be replaced by Spidercam footage - breathtaking views from high up near the rooftops or directly behind the players' backs.

• LED Bails Application

When LED technology was found and disseminated, it altered the globe. The gentleman's game also reaped some of the benefits of that technology. The LED bail, first used in 2012, illuminates when the ball strikes the wicket/bail or when the wicketkeeper whips off the bails. 

The LED Bails, which have a microprocessor and sensor in each bail and a low voltage battery to identify if the wicket is broken in thousandths of a second, have been criticised as a costly method to detecting falling off the bails. The full match setup costs US$ 40,000. (Rs 25 lakh approx).

With this, we conclude all the notes on different techniques used in cricket.

The advanced technology used in cricket has significantly impacted the game. Technology such as Hawk-Eye, Hot Spot, and Ultra Edge has allowed umpires to make more accurate decisions, which has helped to reduce the number of incorrect decisions in the game. 

Cricket analytics has also helped coaches and players to gain insight into the performance of the teams and players and to make better decisions. 

Finally, introducing high-tech protective gear such as helmets, chest guards, and thigh guards has helped reduce the risk of injury to cricketers. All this has helped to keep cricket safer, fairer, and more enjoyable.

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