Shining some new light on cricket

I have decided that this year's winner of the "I never thought we needed it until I saw it" award must surely be the Infra-red "hot spot" camera introduced for the first time in channel 9's coverage of the Ashes last week. Using heat-sensitive light, the camera can be used to show exactly where the ball hit the bat (or pad) by highlighting the surface "hot spot" where contact was made. After contact, the hotspot remains for some number of seconds after, allowing cameras to show the contact point after the event. In a game where there is never a shortage of things to talk about, this certainly adds an extra dimension to the ball-by-ball analysis.

Of course, this technology is by no means new. The military have been playing with infra-red cameras for years. There is also considerable interest in the use of hyperspectral cameras in areas as diverse as sports medicine (particularly for tracking muscle usage, and blood flow), to structure integrity testing in buildings where certain non-visible wave lengths of light can provide useful clues as to the make up of materials, as well as stress points in the structure. When this sort of technology makes it to the cricket pitch however, you know it has reached the masses.

Interestingly, Channel 9 seem somewhat reluctant to pull out the camera all that often, opting instead to tease us every now and then. I am not sure whether this is due to not always having a clear enough image, or whether it is simply a matter of them trying to extend some of the mystique and intrigue by holding back their latest toy. In any case, it certainly adds value to the coverage (and almost makes up for my complete lack of interest in the channel 9 commentary team).