Speedometer error shows Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling at 208 kph: How's speed measured in cricket?
There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know of the legendary Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar aka the Rawalpindi Express. He holds the record for bowling the fastest ever delivery (speed of 161.3 km/hour) in International Cricket. But recently, the world of cricket was taken by storm when this feat was reportedly broken by Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the first T20 match between India and Ireland. Wait, why are we saying reportedly? Well, it turns out that the speedometer reflected an erroneous reading of Kumar’s speed: 201 kph. The tech glitch came to limelight when the machine recorded a consecutive delivery as 208 kph. Within seconds, this news made waves across social media, especially Twitter.
But, how is speed calculated in cricket after all? Yes, there’s a speedometer involved as we all know. But what technology does it run on? Let’s find out!
Speed Gun or Radar Gun technique
This was the technique used in cricket during the 1990s for measuring the velocity of a ball in motion. It was developed by John Baker in 1947. Here’s how it works. The speed gun has both a receiver and a transmitter and is placed on a high base near the sight screen. This is where the speed gun sends radio waves in the direction of the cricket pitch and calculates the velocity of the ball. Likewise, positioned similarly to that of a speed gun, catches echo of radio waves, as and when the ball is in motion. But how does the speed gun or the radar gun distinguish between the objects on pitch? Well, they simply use an image processing software that can easily detect the ball and its speed. Although this technique is no longer in use, it is known for its immediacy and accuracy.
Hawk Eye technique
Originally invented to track brain surgery as well as missiles, the Hawk Eye technique was first used in cricket in 2001. It is the brain child of British scientist Dr. Paul Hawkins. Hawk eye technique is a computer-based system. However, it yields accurate results only when a moving object (in this case the cricket ball) is within a 5-millimetre radius. Despite this, it is trusted over the two other methods because of its precision and detailing.
But how does this technology work? The Hawk Eye method uses 6 cameras to first track the speed data of the ball. Using this data, it locates the path of the ball from the time it leaves the bowler’s hand till it stops. This technology not only determines the velocity but also the swing, angle and direction of the ball.
The latest addition to this technology is 3D technique. That is fancy, isn’t it? A modern-day speedometer uses this technology. Interestingly, Hawk Eye technique also helps the third umpire decide on LBW decisions. How? It captures data about whether or not a ball was in the stump’s path, before hitting the batman’s pad.
Ditching with a glitch: Do speedometers do this often?
Not really. But this isn’t the first instance of a speedometer glitch either. A notable instance of a speedometer glitch was seen during a 2015-16 test match between Australia and West Indies when the Australian pacer Josh Hazelwood was recorded to have bowled a 164.2 kph delivery.
During 2018 Men’s U-19 World Cup, Bangladeshi pacer Qazi Onik’s delivery was calculated as 160 kph with which he was able to clean bowl Indian batsman Prithvi Shaw. While the world praised the bowler for his outstanding delivery, it was later found out that due to a technical glitch on the speedometer, it had given a reading of plus 20.
Similarly, in the 2020 edition of the same tournament, Sri Lankan pacer Mateesha Pathirana was recorded by the speedometer to have delivered a ball at 175 kph. This news had instantly made headlines as the world had assumed (like this time!) that the record of Shoaib Akhtar was finally broken. However, it was soon revealed that the reading was wrong!