Technologies are not limited to a particular field; sports are also seen enormous innovation from its existence. For example, the game of cricket has evolved so much. From Test Cricket to T20, the game has seen many variations, DRS is introduced. Even to increase the popularity of Test Cricket, Pink Ball Test is also in the game. The next instance happened with a cricket ball. Yes, the smart ball has been introduced in the 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League. When hearing this, a lot of questions can be raised. What is a smart ball? Who is the developer? How it is different from normal balls and so. Here is everything about the smart ball you should know.
What Is A Smart Ball?
An intelligent ball that has an electronic chip embedded in it is Smart Ball. A sports technology company Sportcor in partnership with Kookaburra, has been developed this smart ball. An electronic chip is used inside the ball, with sensors to send information such as speed, spin, power in real-time. The transmitted information can be seen on mobile, tablet, or computer through the app designed for it. Analyzing these data, it is possible to identify the talent and their delivery report.
Key Features Of The Smart Ball
It provides information on speed, spin, and power. The other available technologies record only speed at the point of release of the ball from the bowler and before hitting the pitch. The smart ball can produce the value of spin and speed of the ball post bounce as well. Let us see in detail the data points provided by the smart ball.
- Pre-Bounce Speed(km/hr)- measure the speed of the ball before it hits the pitch.
- Post-Bounce Speed(km/hr) –measure the speed of the ball after it hits the pitch.
- Release Spin(RPM)-Revolutions on the ball at the point it releases from the bowler’s hand.
- Post-Bounce Spin(RPM)- measures the revolutions after the bounce.
- Power(watts)- measure the amount of power the bowler puts into the ball.
Any Difference In Behavior To A Standard Cricket?
For this, the answer is obviously no. All testing has been done with a smart ball, the size, weight, and bounce measures are similar to the traditional one. It has been confirmed by the former Australia pacer Michael Kasprowicz and also the current chairman and co-founder of Sportcor while he was interviewing the media.
The only change in smart ball manufacturing is replacing the traditional cork rubber core with the specially designed electronic chip carrying core. In addition, the chip inside the ball is protected in a way similar to the concepts in NFL helmets.
How Does It Actually Work?
Once the operator presses the button on the app, it sends a command to the chip. When the bowler is about to deliver, it starts recording the data and transmits it for analysis and computation, and then the result is displayed on the laptops/computers. It completes all this process within five seconds.
The Bluetooth used in the chip will cover 40 meters which can be used in nets and can connect through mobile. Furthermore, it can be extended to the ranges between 150 and 200 meters for stadium purposes using a sensitive antenna in the computer.
With all these features and advancements, the smart ball hit the pitch on the CPL 2021 edition playing from 26th August 2021 to 15th September 2021.
But the smart ball is not ready for international cricket. Still, it has to go further testing to hit the pitch in international cricket. Hopefully, we can expect it next year.
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