New Zealand looking for advances from new analysis system

New Zealand Cricket video analyst Zach Hitchcock operates the system

Further advances have been made in New Zealand Cricket's computer-oriented match monitoring database and some significant advantages in technical analysis seem assured.

NZC's video analyst Zach Hitchcock, who devised a video process that is used by several countries and first-class sides around the world, has now developed a process that will probably only ever work in New Zealand, one of the occasions where small size has its advantages.

Each of the six first-class associations were provided with video technology last year by NZC. They were able to film all their games and do analysis across whatever areas they wanted. This sort of material is now used by most teams in the world.

However, where New Zealand are hoping they will have future advantage is in the application of all first-class matches which will mean that every scoring shot played, or every ball bowled, in a player's career will forever be available.

The material from each first-class game is fed back to NZC, and it will be stored, processed, and made available to all other associations. While it will mean a sharing of information, it is also intended that this will be a way of improving standards of play for all sides. The same information will be available to all, and how sides counteract the approach of opponents will mean a much tougher response will be required of sides.

It also has other value. The national selectors will have plenty of opportunity to assess players for their national sides. There is a graphical element of the package that provides run charts and also details the method of dismissal, all accompanied by film images.

Another aspect of its use is in umpire analysis, especially at the first-class level where it has never been quite so easy to employ the same techniques of player assessment toward umpires. But that is about to change.

The filming is not especially time consuming as most associations simply mount a camera in good position, as close as possible to looking straight down the pitch, and while it is one-dimensional it still gives a basic record of play. When all the movement is taken out of the game, and the concentration is on the bowling of the ball and the playing of a shot, the ball by ball action over five days of a Test match can be compacted to three hours of coverage.

At the moment, at least, most other countries don't have the continuity of management of systems that NZC have achieved. First-class sides in other countries all have their own various systems of analysis which makes the compilation of data so much harder.

Hitchcock said: "This is the advantage of being a small country. It makes it easier to set up systems and to train operators and all the associations are working together on it. There is no great secret to the footage we get, it is all in how you use it."

In most instances the material would be available in its packaged form 48 hours after matches are completed.

Hitchcock, who has a degree in computer science, said the project had been a challenge and quite complex to get up and running. But he enjoyed the exercise and making changes to software to get it all synchronised.

"It will get better and be really good, especially as the operators improve and get used to working the system. And it will lift the standards of play, by analysis," he said.