Cricket is seeing a surge in technology-based predictions

Fans who have been adjusting schedules and itineraries in time for the ICC T20 World Cup that kicks off next month will be thrilled to learn that the TV partner of the series has something special lined up We are told they will be introducing a new tool for a more intuitive match analysis and predictionAlso read ICC aiming to improve umpiring technology says Simon TaufelFrom the number of balls left to wagon wheels interesting trivia like the number of spectators and situationbased analysis cricket is seeing a surge in technologybased predictions that aim at making the most of all the big data available on the game In picture spectators at the quarterfinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between South Africa and New Zealand in Dhaka on March 25 2011 PicAFPRating the cricketerAccording to information with us Star Sports will introduce a statisticsbased system where players will be rated on their performances in reallife situations So players will be rated anywhere from zero to five based on their ability to perform under pressure consistency ability to get big hits etcYoung cricketers try out Pitch Visionrsquos technology in a training camp in New DelhildquoThis is just one of the several uses of technology that aims to make prediction more realistic It is expected to add several more parameters as it gathers effective data on cricketers over a period of timerdquo says Mario Fernandes senior associate digital content SportzInteractive a company that specialises in creating content for online services like ESPNCricInfo and CricketNext among othersldquoWhile traditional factors like run rate number of balls left and wickets in hand remain important itrsquoll be interesting to see how the new rating system plays out this seasonrdquo adds FernandesTraining the hitech wayBut is the use of technology limited only to live matches Not really At a time when machine learning is gaining popularity itrsquos natural for cricket to have a system that learns about a player with each ball bowled and shot played A Londonbased company Pitch Vision has set up shop in India to help players coaches and teams add a statisticsdriven approach to trainingTechnology has been used in the past to predict results like in this case with help from HawkEye Now itrsquos used to predict player performances too PICGetty ImagesThe company offers three training products mdash PV1 Pitch Vision and Pitch Vision Batting Studio mdash to help players and coaches review their performances and share with each other for guidance ldquoAll these technologies capture real time data on a player using a hardware setup that combines videos and sensors placed strategically in a practice net to generate a detailed player report The hardware setup captures realtime data such as speed at which a bowler bowls a delivery its movement and angle of throw For batsmen it will capture details about action shot selection stance and morerdquo says Rohan Timblo CEO Pitch Vision Asia and South AfricaThe data stored is then made available to players and their coaches on its online platform and app Android and iOS which can be used to review performance as well as share it with others The companyrsquos services are currently installed in Centre of Excellence Pretoria South Africa MCC Club Lords ICC Dubai as well as at Doon School and Karnataka Cricket Association among others ldquoWe have analysed 12 to 125 million deliveries till nowrdquo shares Timblo Adding fun to cricket learning it also offers Pitch Vision Powerplay an entertainment simulator that creates a live stadiumlike environment created especially for cricket fansBut Pitch Vision is not the only player in this fastgrowing field A few years ago when the Indian Cricket League ICL had surfaced it made news not just as a rival cricket league but also how a new kid on the block wanted to make the best use of technology mdash from GPS tags to measure distances covered by players to vests that would track their heartbeats mdash the ICL in many ways was way ahead of its timeAlso read Sachin Tendulkar had initial reservations about technology in the dressing roomBut while ICL faltered the use of technology didnrsquot Over the last few years several international cricketing companies and academies have begun using sensorbased technologies to train and prepare for matches Some of the major players in India are Sportsmechanics and Sportingmindz ldquoWe offer analytics support for several IPL teams including Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Ridersrdquo shares Sandeep Kannambadi CTO SportingMindzGoing mobileFor those of you on the move you can catch the T20 World Cup on your smartphone via the app HotStar Others who prefer to follow the action via live feeds there are apps which offer live analysis live scores news updates and more ldquoServices like Hotstar have picked up in the last few years especially because of its unique contextual visual content along with live streaming As for those users who face the curse of slow Internet speeds several popular websites like Yahoo Cricket CricBuzz and ESPN Cricinfo are available as websites and apps They are good to stay updated during a matchrdquo assures Fernandes