The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly set to introduce the Smart Replay System in the upcoming IPL 2024 in a bid to speed up the decision-making process and accuracy.
The Smart Replay System will help the TV umpire to get inputs directly from two Hawk-Eye operators who will be sitting in the same room as the umpire. The operators will provide the umpire with images captured by Hawk-Eye's eight high-speed cameras across the ground.
There are eight Hawk-Eye cameras present at every match — two on each side of the square leg and two on each side of the pitch along the straight boundaries.
“The TV broadcast director, who until now was a conduit between the third umpire and the Hawk-Eye operators, will no longer be involved under the new system,” the ESPNCricinfo report stated.
It is understood that the Smart Replay System will allow the TV umpire to refer to more visuals than they previously had access to, including split-screen images.
In the past, the broadcaster was unable to provide a split screen of the fielder's feet and hands at the precise moment when the ball was caught. Under the new system, a split screen can show the umpire when the ball was caught, or released, alongside synchronized footage of the feet.
The new technology will display TV umpire tri-vision for stumpings, which is effectively a single frame of film from both side-on and front-on cameras.
The conversations between the TV umpire and the Hawk-Eye operator are likely to be aired live, allowing the viewer to understand the thought process behind decisions better.
ESPNcricinfo also reported that BCCI conducted a two-day workshop on the new system in Mumbai on Sunday and Monday for select umpires.
It is learned that about 15 umpires, comprising both Indian and overseas umpires, will work with the Smart Replay System during IPL 2024 which starts on March 22.
(IANS/ESPNCricinfo inputs)
