The game of cricket has never shied away from modifying itself with the changing technologies and the game is all set to witness another big innovation. In the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, the cricket bats with chips installed in them are going to be used.
With the International Cricket Council (ICC) naming Intel as its Innovation Partner for the eight-team tournament starting from June 1 in England, the tournament is being considered as the first ever “Smart Cricket Tournament”.
As per a report in Xtratime, the chips placed in the bats will help the engineers track the movement of the players, it will be trailed by cameras and the data thus obtained will be analysed by the experts. Three players each from the eight teams will bat with the specially designed bats.
The International Cricket Council and the England and Wales Cricket Board have also taken several other measures to make the tournament a ‘smart’ one. The three venues hosting the matches- The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff Wales Stadium- have been equipped with Hawk-Eye, front and reverse view stump cameras and Spider Cam.
The organising committee has also made an effort to make the tournament a memorable one for the fans by investing in high-density wifi at grounds, ensuring great connectivity and reducing the pressure on 3G and 4G networks.
Steve Elworthy, the ICC Champions Trophy director, insisted that the upcoming tournament will be a ‘smart’ tournament.
“At the other side of the boundary rope, it’s about how we engage with fans, how we improve their experience, and then everybody who is outside of that,” said Elworthy.
“It’s going to be a ‘smart’ tournament, and we’ve looked at how technology can improve the customer experience, whoever that customer is.
“It’s become expected, I think, for fans to come to a venue and expect wifi. It has been a huge investment from the ECB and the ICC to deliver high-density wifi at all Champions Trophy grounds.
“We’re also going to have player tracking, using specific cameras around the grounds, following the players’ movements, which will offer incredible insight and deep data to see how far they move, or how far they don’t,” he added.