Player distance, speed and breakdowns are all shown in real time
Catapult has spent the last few years arming professional sports teams with more data, and now the tracking has branched out to international cricket and television broadcasts.
The sports tracking company has now teamed up with Cricket Australia and major sports broadcaster Channel Nine in order to bring live wearable insights to viewers, which were recently debuted during the fifth Ashes Test.
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In the graphics presented on screen, which were typically shown as a bowler was about to begin a spell, the likes of a player’s total distance, top speed, and distance covered throughout each spell was shown.
“We’d like to thank the Australian players and Cricket Australia for enabling us to bring our viewers deeper insight into what fantastic athletes these cricketers are,” Tom Malone, Nine Network’s director of sport said. “This is just the beginning, we look forward to continuing to work with Catapult on greater statistical analysis as the summer progresses.”
After cleaning up England 4-0 in the recent Ashes series, the teams will now face each other in five one-day internationals and a T20 series. Catapult’s data will again make its way into broadcasts through the shorter format, though in what capacity remains to be seen.
Though the longer nature of Test cricket lends itself to building up a picture of a player’s movements throughout the day, the analysis of the 50-over game could choose to focus more on sprints and even bring batsmen’s data into the mix.
Interestingly, the England and Wales Cricket Board also counts itself among Catapult’s clients, though the tracking data being captured for the coaching staff has yet to find its way onto UK broadcasts. With the emergence of Catapult and other sports tracking solutions in recent years, though, it’s only a matter of time before more insights are brought to the fans.
