Chip and change, ICC introduces bat tech at Champions Trophy
MUMBAI: The way Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane got out on Tuesday, they will be keen to study the angle from which their bat came down as they were bowled off inside edges in the warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Oval. In the Champions Trophy, they will have the advantage of using a chip in their bat, which will precisely chart their bat angles and back lift.
According to reports, bats with a chip embedded in the handle are going to be used in the ICC tournament, to be played in United Kingdom from June 1 to 18. The chips can record and analyse performance of batsmen. Images from the chip will be downloaded via software into computers for analysis. A couple of players from each team will use such bats. For India, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin are likely to use the chip-embedded bats.
MONITORING FLAWS
In a game where great emphasis is laid on technique, it will help the batsmen and their coaches monitor any flaws that creep into a player’s game from time to time.
Explaining how the batsmen are expected to benefit from the exciting technology innovation being introduced by the International Cricket Council through the help of their innovation partner Intel, ICC CEO Dave Richardson told the Hindustan Times: “It will allow you to measure the bat speed, bat angles, back lift, the path of the bat. These things help to know whether you are playing straight or across the line.”
This technology is in use in sports like golf and baseball, but will be used in cricket for the first time, revealed Richardson.
From the fans’ point of view, it will be exciting to know details like the bat speed of players. “We hear commentators say AB de Villiers’ bat speed is fast, now they will be able to compare the bat speed of batsmen,” said Richardson.