In an interview with Indian media former Australia pacer Michael Kasprowicz, popularly known as ‘Kaspa,’ has shared that he would love to see ‘Smart Ball’ used in gully cricket in India.
A Smart Ball has an electronic microchip installed inside and it can provide important data such as speed, spin and power right from the 22 yards.
This ball has been developed by sports technology company Sportcor in collaboration with leading ball manufacturer Kookaburra.
Kaspa who is also the chairman and co-owner of Sportcor said that the ball may sell roughly around 200 dollars.
He added that it would be fantastic to see this ball being used in gully cricket.
“To be honest, one day I’ve got high hopes and the dream on mine is to get this into gully cricket.”
Kaspa played for the first time in India in 1998 on the Australian cricket tour.
“It was easily the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. But I just loved it, I loved it so much, the energy, the people, to a point where I came back to Australia I kept talking about loving India, I learnt some great skills on that trip which meant that the media in Australia referred to me as subcontinent specialist.”
He acknowledged that amongst the South Asian cricket playing nations India holds a very special place in his heart.
“It gives me great joy to be able to bring something like the smart ball and the technology to India, where I would love to make this into a gully cricket ball and get everybody using it.”
Kaspa feels confident that Smart Ball can revolutionize cricket as it gives the player feedback.
“Every bit of sports tech we see right now is for the fan, in the sense that’s it’s in the broadcast, in decision reviews, and for the strength and conditioning coach or the trainer. There is not a lot of feedback that gets to the player.
So (it’s great) to be involved with the product which is able to give the player the data and feedback from the ball. It really gives an insight into their action and helping them with the feel.”
In the Smart Ball, the cork rubber core of the traditional ball has been replaced by a specially designed core that carries the electronic chip and a non-rechargeable battery.
This microchip with an electronic sensor will send real-time information that can be viewed on any smart device via a specially designed app.
The players can check the following in-depth data points:
- Pre-Bounce Speed (km/h) – Speed just before the ball bounces
- Post-Bounce Speed (km/h) – Speed of the ball just after it bounces
- Release Spin (RPM) – Revolutions on the ball at the point the bowler releases it
- Post-Bounce Spin (RPM) – Revolutions after the bounce
- Power (Watts) – Amount of power/effort the bowler puts into the ball
The Smart Ball will make its debut in the 2021 Caribbean Premier League, which starts on 26 August 2021.
