5 technological advancements in cricket that we could see by 2030

#3 No-ball sensor

The umpires are probably missing out on plenty of no balls

The significance of no-balls in cricket has escalated by leaps and bounds, thanks to the fresh regulations adopted by the ICC. As is obvious, this has doubled up the responsibility of the umpires, who now lay prone to severe criticisms for potentially match-altering no-ball calls that not only add an extra run to the scoreboard but also permit a free-hit to the batsman.

With this in mind and a vision to negate umpiring slip-ups, Cricket Australia approached the famous university tech development company QutBlueBox in order to refine a device that offers audible feedback when one oversteps the line. In fact, this had been the brainchild of Cricket Australia sports science and sports medicine manager Peter Blanch whose several attempts failed initially before the Board decided to outsource it.

The device appears to be pretty simple, working on the basic principle of a door chime. It shines a light sensor from one side of the popping crease which is duly picked up by the reflector strip placed on the opposite side. Once the foot crosses the line, the speakers emit a beeping sound, similar to what is often heard during tennis matches.

Troy Cooley, Head coach at the Cricket Australia National Performance Program in Albion where players have been using this technology for more than a year and a half, is indeed enthusiastic about the device although he is not sure about the difference it actually makes.

He admits, “For us it's just making sure their practice becomes a little bit more perfect each time. Given the fact that we don't have umpires and if the bowler's just out there bowling on their own they don't normally look down to see if they've bowled a no ball. So it's a little bit of feedback for them.”