Lights! Camera! Action! - A list of improvements for cricket broadcasting

Including some interesting stats

Who spun it more, Warne or Murali? We’ll never know without ball revolutions data

Cricket has always been a slow game to adapt. A batsman’s ‘time in the middle’ is still measured, despite having lost relevance in the shorter formats. However, sometimes, we see a glimpse of hope, of cricket embracing the 21st century when we see the use of high-speed cameras to provide the viewing audience with stats.

We see broadcasters show the time a player has to react for a catch, or the time it took to run a batsman out. These instances put the game into context for the layman, showing the intensity a passage of play really has in cricket.

Showing the time taken for running tight runs, fielding in the outfield, wicketkeeper and close-in catching and facing a ball will make the game get the cutting edge that its broadcast has often lost. Furthermore, it would help analysts gain key insights as cricket immerses itself into the data revolution.

Some other interesting stats could be: the number of kilometers travelled in a day of play by various players, length of run-ups, distance travelled to stop a boundary and number of revolutions on the ball for spinners, a stat that is used sometimes in Sky Sports broadcast, but needs to become a staple for spinners, as this is as important as the speed they bowl at.

Another interesting metric would be fielding metrics, which are being developed by various statisticians, which would add a whole new dimension to the analysis conducted on air, and enhance the viewing experience of TV audiences.

Miscellaneous improvements

#1 Displaying a timer to show how much time is remaining to review a decision, creating suspense and excitement among viewers.

#2 Standardising distances to the metric system, because talking in yards, feet and inches is confusing to most listeners outside England.

#3 Displaying crowd numbers at the peak of a match, and showing a pie chart of how much the crowd favours each team.

#4 Increasing the volume of the stump mic, to make what the players say audible, as sledging is a big part of the game.

These improvements would mean a bigger TV audience, bringing more money into the game, while still not compensating on the quality of the broadcast. They would lead to more fan engagement and less passive watching whilst still making it easily understandable for the new fan.

Cricket, as I said before, evolves very slowly, and its broadcast is no different. While new technology has been introduced, the same style has persisted for decades. Not only does this not stimulate the growth of the game, it is actively contributing to its downfall, and to be able to compete in a market of high-action, high-energy sports, it is high time that cricket broadcasting got with the times.