Hawkeye, Snicko, DRS: Technologies to be used in ICC World Cup 2019

Umpires declaring Virat Kohli Out after using DRS

Technology has started playing an important role in the world of sport lately. From the VAR in football to the Hawk-eye in tennis, the outcome of matches changes when technology gets involved. With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 just a few days away, we take a look at what types of technologies will be used during the mega tournament.

Snickometer:
Snickometer is a technology which was first brought into the sport of cricket by BBG Sports. An English computer scientist named Allan Plaskett had developed this technology in the early '90s. The Snickometer use of both the mediums of audio and visual evidence to check out any edges that the umpires might have missed.

How does Snickometer Work?
A very sensitive microphone is placed at the stumps and this microphone is connected to an oscilloscope which tracks the sound waves. In case of any edges, the mic records even the smallest of sounds. The recorded trace is then played along with the slow-motion frame by frame which makes it an easier task to determine if there was any contact between the bat and the ball.

Sniko has proven to be more reliable than hotspot and in several series recently the only snicko was used in the DRS. There are some issues with hotspot wherein it doesn't seem to register and display heat mark for faint edges.

Hawkeye
Hawk-eye is a computer system is a very famous technology that is being used in numerous sports such as cricket, volleyball, football, tennis, badminton, etc. IT is a technology that tracks the moment, the trajectory of the ball and display a profile of its statistically most likely path as a moving image. The Hawk-Eye system was developed by Paul Hawkins. It was originally implemented in 2001 for television purposes in cricket.

How does Hawkeye work
The system works with the help of 6 or 7 high-performance cameras, which are placed on the underside of the stadium roof. They are used to track the ball from different angles. The video from all the cameras is then combined to create a 3D representation of the ball's trajectory and movement. Hawk-Eye is not infallible, but is accurate to within 3.6 millimeters and generally trusted as an impartial second opinion in most of the sports.

DRS
The Umpire Decision Review System DRS is a technology-based system used in cricket to assist the match officials with their decision-making On-field umpires may choose to consult with the 3rd umpire, and players may request that the third umpire consider a decision of the on-field umpires.

How does DRS work
The main elements that have been used are television replays, the technology that tracks the path of the ball and predicts what it would have done, microphones to detect small sounds made as the ball hits bat or pad, and infra-red imaging to detect temperature changes as the ball hits bat or pad.

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