Has the time come to infuse more subtle technologies in cricket?


What is meaning of technology and what role has it got to play when we talk in terms of cricket? Technology is something which is relatable to automation of modus operandi and reduces human intervention and thus saves time, the most limiting factor in today’s frenetic world. Yes, it involves the cost but we have to make a choice between time and cost and hence the quality. No doubt, in cricket also, the advent of technology has given ultra-edge benefits in the areas where umpires had to take manual decisions which could turn out to be good or bad. In the last few decades, the technology has progressed by leaps and bounds in the area of cricket as a sports. Needless to say, there was dire need to do it. In cricket, recently there have been technological advancements such as pitching of Hotspot, Snick-o-meter, Hawkeye, LED stumps and bails, stump camera to name a few.

Hotspot is the technology used to review the smallest nick of ball and bat. In snick-o-meter, a sensitive microphone is placed in one of the stumps which catches the sound if the ball hits the bat. Both these technologies are used to detect whether there has been an edge of bat in case ball is caught by wicket keeper behind the stumps. Hawkeye is the older technology first introduced in the year 2001 to check on the path of the ball delivered. It is helpful in reviewing the LBW decisions given or retained by umpires. In past, this has happened that the ball hit the stumps and bails did not go off for a small nick. If the bails don’t go off, a batsman is not considered to be out, hence by introducing the LED stumps and bails the life of umpires and bowlers has become easy. Stump Camera is a technology of placing a small camera in middle stump to record and capture the smallest movements and thus helping umpires to take a decision.

There are other technological advancements also in the field of cricket apart of from few mentioned above. However do we yet have a mechanism to check the No Ball when a bowler has stepped out? This can be just like any other human error on part of an umpire to misjudge a No Ball but when the result of a match is at stake, how do we make this error good?

Recently, in Match No. 7 of Indian Premiere League 2019 between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Banglore, the on field umpire Sundaram Ravi failed to spot and call a no ball when on the last bowl of chase of Royal Challengers Banglore, Mumbai Indians bowler Lasith Malinga overstepped the crease and hence delivered a no ball. RCB needed 7 runs to win or 6 runs to take the game to super over with all-rounder Shivam Dubey on strike who managed to duck this much hyped no ball. Had the umpire called it a no ball, the batsmen could have changed the crease, AB de Villiers who almost took his team to win with his meticulous 70 runs of 41 deliveries would have faced the free hit. Hence Royal Challengers Banglore lost the match in which they had fair chance to play a draw or to even win the game. However as the fate had it, Royal Challengers Banglore lost and a lots of commotion was created on the howler of umpire.

In light of the same incidence, the debate is on fire whether it is feasible to leave the paramount decision to call a no ball to an already overburdened umpire? Can’t we have a watchdog technology which alerts the umpires whenever a bowler oversteps? Cricket is the game of chance and the howlers like these can change the course of the match as exactly happened with Royal Challengers Banglore.

Though these days, with technology only, a close vigil is kept on all the activities of the players on field and in such a case the debatable happenings like ball tempering or ball fixing have been curtailed to its mortality. In my view, the more profound technologies must be introduced in cricket arena where the manual intervention by umpires must be as limited as possible. This will keep the morale of the players high as well as the confidence of fans will grow in the institution called CRICKET.              

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