Sports

31 October, 1999

Television innovations put cricket under greater scrutiny

SYDNEY, Oct 30 (AFP) - Umpire decisions and bowling speeds will come under greater scrutiny this Australian summer with Kerry Packer's Nine Network introducing a number of innovations to its international coverage.

Network officials said Friday the television company had spent almost one million dollars (650,000 US) introducing Speed Guns, a Snickometer and a Strike Zone.

Two of the innovations will focus on appeals for dismissals with the Snickometer used to determine whether catches are completed and the Strike Zone will highlight leg before wicket decisions.

The Strike Zone, developed from Israeli military technology, will highlight the area between the stumps and show where the ball pitched.

"With the ball pitching in line, it (the Strike Zone) is infallible, whether it goes on to hit the stumps is another matter, so it's still an umpire's decision," said Nine's director of sport Gary Burns.

Burns said the network was awaiting the arrival of the Strike Zone technology from Israel before next Friday's opening Test between Australia and Pakistan in Brisbane.

The Snickometer, created by an English inventor, is driven by a state-of-the-art computer program and will be used in conjunction with special slow-motion cameras and stump microphones.

Commentator Richie Benaud denied such technology would increase pressure on the umpires and said it had received very positive reviews from umpires after it was trialled in the recent series between England and New Zealand.

"We estimated we had 22 very close decisions that could have gone either way, 18 the umpires got right and four they didn't. That's pretty good and I think the umpires reckoned it was pretty good also," Benaud said.

Burns said the upgraded Speed Guns contained interfacing computer technology.

"We've got two guns on every ball, so we've got a backup Speed Gun and as soon as it leaves the bowlers hand it can give us an instantaneous reading," Burns said.

One of Burns's hopes for the coming summer is the Speed Guns will capture the first official 100 mile an hour (160 kilometre an hour) delivery, with Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar tipped to be the paceman most likely to do so.

The changes also extend to the commentary box with former Australian captain Mark Taylor becoming the fifth fulltime member of the team alongside former Test captains, Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Bill Lawry.


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