It appears that cricket can be a dirty sport, judging by the numerous illegal actions of the players. This way, in a recent move, Cricket Australia slapped a ninety-day ban on its fast bowler Aaron Bird on the charge of illegal bowling action. In another move, the International Cricket Council (ICC), in association with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), has cracked down heavily on the illegal bowling practices. The guardians of cricket have now decided to import wearable technology in cricket to find out whether or not a bowler has resorted to illegal throwing acts during delivery.

The aforementioned organizations will fund Griffith University to develop a wearable, real-time electronic sensor to record and monitor the bowling action during delivery. The device will be mounted on a bowler's arm to assess the legality of the bowling action instantly, by measuring the degree of elbow extension between the time the bowling arm reaches a horizontal level and the release of the ball (current ICC regulations stipulate a 15-degree tolerance threshold for elbow extension in the bowling action).

 

Griffith University project leader Dr. Daniel James said the device was designed as a development tool for up-and-coming bowlers. "It will help coaches assess arm action early on in training as a means of injury prevention, performance improvement and as a corrective aid for suspect actions. It may also be helpful in competition" he explained.

 

Dr. James stated that current best practice relies on frame-by-frame video analysis or in-laboratory motion analysis and this new technology would be another tool available for coaches. The technology will utilize a combination of accelerometers, rate gyroscopes and other wireless inertial sensors. It will be able to record minute position changes in linear and radial directions with technologies such as magnetometers and GPS to ensure a high level of accuracy.

  

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