How Technology Can Improve The Quality Of Cricket

After a successful T20 World Cup, where Sportradar introduced their new data capture technology, Ministry of Sport, caught up with Sportradar’s head of cricket, sport solutions Jarod Pickering to discuss it’s performance at the World Cup and what’s next for their new technology.

Applying fielding tech to other formats:

Commenting on their data capabilities, Pickering said their services cover all formats, and their collection of fielding data can have a major impact on a match’s outcome.

“In T20 cricket, the margin between winning and losing is smaller, as such, the performance in the field is critical to the result. But fielding performance is equally important in all formats,” Pickering said.

“For cricket boards and other broadcasters, there’s a fan engagement element too where our data can power a second screen experience (take for example the fielding positions of every ball) or deliver insights on subjective metrics like pressure fields or runs saved by fielding actions so fans remain engaged and informed all throughout the match – despite the length of the format or the watch time of a broadcast,” he said.

Teams using data for tactics:

On teams using the data they’ve collected, Pickering said they can use it to improve their fielding strategies and review performance.

“We can see not only the impact of specific players and their teams but also patterns that emerge as well as strengths and weaknesses in the field.,” Pickering said.

“Teams can then use the data to determine where specific players should field to maximise their attributes, adjust for specific batters and even inform player selection. They could also gain a deeper, more objective, understanding of the opposition’s strategy and performance in the field and how they might exploit for advantage,” he said.

Pickering also said that during the T20 World Cup they could see through the data that a team had very specific strategies to create pressure on batters, and then used the information that was collected to assess the impact of their tactics.

Insights from the T20 World Cup:

On the data Sportradar collected at the World Cup, Pickering said it was collected in a few ways, but they’re most proud of being able to produce the first ever fielding rankings in the sport’s history.

Additionally, fielders were awarded points for their actions in the field and the impact their actions had on the match.

“Our algorithms determined an overall score of player impact, with extra weighting on key fielding moments in crucial junctures. Liam Livingstone from England topped the list, with 47.39 points from six matches. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell was also a notable figure in the tournament, coming in second with 44.52 points, where he was top of the rankings during the Super 12 stage. Interestingly, both Livingstone and Maxwell mostly fielded at deep mid-wicket for their respective teams – a known hot zone in T20 cricket,” Pickering said.

The ICC also published the final fielding table of the T20 World Cup:

To read the previous MOS Brand Break, where ESL FACEIT Group SVP and managing director of Asia Pacific, Japan, Nick Vanzetti discussed the growth of esports in the region, click here.