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The new system will have the television referee and Hawk-Eye operators in the same room, with more split screens, better frame rates and a less rigid process.
Nagraj Gollapudi
To increase the accuracy and speed in decision making, IPL 2024 will feature the Smart Replay System.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that under the Smart Replay system, the TV referee will receive information directly from two Hawk-Eye operators who will be sitting in the same room as the referee and will provide him with images captured by Hawk’s eight high-speed cameras. -Hey. the land. The director of television broadcasts, who until now was a conduit between the third referee and the Hawk-Eye operators, will no longer be involved with the new system.
It is understood that the Smart Replay system will allow the television referee to view more footage than he previously had access to, including split-screen footage. Take the example of a relay catch made in the air by the first defender on the boundary rope. In the past, the broadcaster could not provide a split screen of the defender’s feet and hands at the precise moment he caught the ball. Under the new system, a split screen can show the referee when he caught or released the ball, along with synchronized footage of the feet.
Similarly, a split screen can now show, in case of a four-shot, whether or not the batsmen had crossed over when the fielder released the ball (think of the 2019 World Cup final as an example of a use case specific). Until now, the television referee did not see such clear images, mainly because the announcer could not join the two images.
There are eight Hawk-Eye cameras in any given match: two on each side of the ground on the straight boundaries and two on each side of the wicket square. Until IPL 2023, Hawk-Eye cameras were mainly used for ball tracking and UltraEdge. So apart from lbws and edge checks, the broadcaster largely used footage from its own cameras for any in-field reference. That included referrals for mishaps, exits, catches and tackles.
In the case of a disconcerting referral, under the Smart Review system, the television referee can ask the Hawk-Eye operators to show him the split screen. In case there is a visible gap when the ball passed the bat, it will not request the UltraEdge (to see if it was caught from behind) and will instead proceed directly to checking the side replay to detect the hit. If the TV umpire does not see a clear space between the bat and the ball, only then will he refer to UltraEdge.
For stumps, the new system will show the TV umpire in triple vision – essentially side and front camera images in a single frame. The angle of the front camera is important because it provides an accurate image of the bails being removed. Previously, the station showed the side angle of each side along with Stump Cam footage. But Stump Cam records the action at a low speed of about 50 frames per second, unlike Hawk-Eye cameras that record at about 300 frames per second, meaning there will now be more accurate footage for referees to base their decision on. . .
The Smart Review system is also likely to provide more clarity in the case of a capture made inches from the grass. In the past, such references have sparked debate over the television referee’s decision, and the video evidence on which that decision was based appears inconclusive. Under the old system, the television umpire would ask the television director to provide him with the best available angle to clarify whether the ball bounced before the fielder put it in the bag or whether the fingers were under the ball. Even enlarged images did not always provide conclusive evidence.
Now, under the smart review system, Hawk-Eye will display a single frame immediately with images from front and side angles. The TV referee can then choose to zoom in from a particular angle.
It is understood that conversations between the television referee and the Hawk-Eye operator will likely be broadcast live, allowing the viewer to better understand the thought process behind the decisions.
Speed ​​of play is essential in T20 cricket and the Smart Review system aims to skip unnecessary steps to reach the right decision in the shortest time possible. A good example is lbw reviews. The protocol so far involves the TV umpire initially receiving Spin Vision, which comes from a camera placed in front of the out-of-bounds wickets on either side of the pitch. If the ball is close to the bat, the TV umpire will ask to check UltraEdge. Once he was satisfied that there was no bat involved, he would proceed to check the tracking of the ball. Under the smart review system, if the Hawk-Eye operator detects that the ball had been bowled with the outside leg, he will inform the TV umpire immediately and he will prioritize tracking the ball.
The ECB has previously tested a similar reference system in the Hundred.
The BCCI held a two-day workshop on the new system in Mumbai on Sunday and Monday for selected umpires. It is learned that around 15 umpires, including Indian and foreign umpires, will be working with the Smart Replay system during IPL 2024 which begins on March 22.
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo