SRI LANKAN CLAIMS HE INVENTED“GLOWINGWICKET”
The illuminating cricket bails when dislodged have become a very interesting invention that has helped the third umpire immensely in adjudicating his decisions on television replays. The system, for whichtheICCpaysaround$40,000 per game for using the technology to an Australian company according to online posts was however first claimed to be invented and patented in Sri Lanka through the Intellectual Property Act No: 36 of 2003 and regulations made there under by our very own Sri Lankan Hettiarachchige Lalith on March 4, 2010 under the International Patent Classification (IPC) H 04L 29/00 and which was filed way backontheMarch28,2008.
Since he invented this feature in 2008 Hettiarachchige ran from pillar to post in his quest to get his invention approved and accepted. A letter was written to the cricket board that put him onto Ronnie Gunaratne the manager of the umpires association in Sri Lanka. Gunaratne then called him for a demonstration and when he was satisfied with this brilliant innovation, officially wrote to Vince Van Der Bijl on the 21st of December 2010 who was at that time the UmpiresandRefereesManager at the ICC. That was the last anyone heard of this brilliant piece of technology that was invented by Hettiarachige, that was badly needed to assist the umpires with TV replays. Hettiarachchige recently approached Sri Lanka Cricket once again and appealed to the current CEO Ashley De Silva to seek his intervention. De Silva confirmed to the “Daily Mirror” that he has instructed a colleague in the Cricket Board to officially write once again to Van Der Bijl who still holds the same post at the ICC and clarify this matter. However several attempts to speak to the CEO De Silva thereafter, to get his feedback on the progress, proved futile as he was always busy at meetings and promised to call back which he never did.
The inventor went on to say that cricket board officials at that time like Ashley De Silva, Bandula Warnapura and umpires such as Peter Manuel and Kumara Dharmasena were aware of this and were present when he did his demonstration and also on their advice requested him to make a few technical changes which he did.
He however went on to say that he regrets one thing and that was that umpire Kumara Dharmasena had coaxed him into parting with his documented invention on the pretext of helping him during that period. Hettiarachchige continued saying that, that was the last he ever heard from Dharmasena which prompted him to apply and seek a copyright and patent his invention as somewhere down the line someone was bound to steal his idea. Hettiarachchige’s gut instinct was coorect and as it is common knowledge now, Bronte Eckermann an Australian Mechanical Industrial Designer claims that he is the inventor and had got his invention to be created by South Australian Manufacturer Zing International and called this great invention the “Zing Wicket System” which is used by ICC now.
This claim has now become the talking point in Colombo as this invention by Hettiarachchige has caused national interest. An invention by a smart Sri Lankan individual should get world recognition for amending the decision making process of the sport of cricket. The general public go on to say that Hettiarachchige should be identified and recognized as the rightful inventor of this amazing technology that is well received by the ICC, national cricket bodies, the cricketers themselves and by and large the global cricketing viewers of this popular sport.
Would it not have ben appropriate if Hettirachchige’s idea was acknowledged by the ICC who used it officially for the first time in the ICC T20 World Cup recently, where aptly it was won by the country of the man who invented it.
This writer sent a personal message to Bronte Eckermann on Facebook seeking an explanation or comment. There was no reply fromEckermannatthetimeof going to print.
COMMENTSONECKERMANN’S INVENTION AS FOUND ON AN ONLINE POSTWHICH READ: