With the advent of technology, the entire world has come to us in the palm of a hand, and rigorous use of the same has made life a lot easier. When it comes to cricket, technology has developed the game in a lot of aspects that include the forthcoming DRS, snick-o-meter, Hawkeye, LED stumps and the new improved speed-o-meters. Similarly, a new piece of technology is doing the rounds and that is a smart cricket ball.
Going by the name, one may come to the conclusion that its movements will be tracked with the help of a chip in order to garner certain data, and he isn’t wrong.
The ball is being used in the ongoing CPL that has started on August 26th. As of now, there have been no negative repercussions and games have been played normally.
The definition of a smart ball
It is a Kookaburra ball embedded with a chip inside it and is no different from the ones that we know of. The focal point of the chip being embedded in the cherry is to garner a few more data points that will help the upcoming generations of cricket.
The microchip is planted in the very core of the ball and the outside remains exactly the same as it is supposed to be in the case of a normal cricket ball, swathed in leather.
Possible new developments surrounding a smart cricket ball
The chip inside the ball will be transforming information to a system that will be mapped to the specified chip. This information will also be used to fill in the fans watching the game to underline the amount of brilliance that the bowlers and batters post at the micro-level.
The chip will gauge the pace and movement of the ball at different phases of its journey from the release point to the keeper, fielder, or the ropes.
What is the exact data that we will be looking forward to with the advent of this new ball?
The main idea of the smart balls is to act as a coaching aid that will focus on the specific to hone the performances of an aspiring bowler by improving a few points in the exact details.
The ball can be connected to an app that will provide the much-needed data to any player willing to learn from the live matches.
The ball will be measuring:
- The speed and revolutions at the release point
- The speed and revolutions before the ball bounces
- The speed post-bounce as soon as the ball hits the pitch
- Up to 30 hours of in-game use
- Electronics that will be able to endure 300 plus impacts at an average speed of 150 km/h without any signs of stress.
The smart balls are the exact same as whatever is used in regular cricket and may be an important aspect in shaping the fortunes of international cricket only if ample testing can be done and the ball doesn’t show considerable damage in the long run.
