snicko
How does it work?
The snickometer in cricket is utilised by the umpire to determine whether a batsmen is out based on if the ball connected with the bat, following through to the wicketkeeper. The technology works through listening to the sounds that are made when the cricket ball comes in contact with the bat or whether to analyse the sound to determine if it was the ball hitting the bat or the bat hitting something else, reproducing the sound of a ball. It represents these sounds through an audio graph and gets it's audio data from an inbuilt microphone planted in the stumps |
Where was the technology discovered/invented?
The snickometer was invented by an English computing scientist named Allan Plaskett in the mid 1990s and was introduced by UK's channel 4 in 1999. |
Does this technology help improve the sport?
Yes, this technology majorly improves the sport in terms of decision making as it can give an extremely accurate reading, allowing the umpire to come to a verdict. With the snickometer providing umpires with accurate readings of whether the ball touched the bat or not, based on this information they deem whether a batsmen is out or not, hence eliminating any confusion on the decision. Example
This technology is utilised in nearly every game 1st grade cricket. It has a very specific use, being used when the umpire is unsure whether the sound being produced was the ball hitting the bat or the bat hitting something else. This is key as in cricket, a way of getting out is by hitting the ball, then having the opponent catch it on the full. Finding out whether the ball it the bat or not, following through to be caught by the wicketkeeper can determine whether a batsmen is out or not. |
Has the technology spread to many parts of the world?
This technology, over the years has become mainstream across all major cricketing events and series. It is present in both national and international cricketing events, being utilised by all the countries where these events are held. Major countries that have a very active involvement in cricket include Australia, India, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and and parts of Africa etc. |