ECB trials radar guns to continue the hunt of next big speedster
The ECB's scouting and talent identification section tracks the top fast bowlers on the County circuit in the early stages of the Championship season to increase the quality of data available before they are selected for England.
While bowling coaches can use handheld guns to monitor bowling speeds from a short distance in practice, it hasn't been used in County Cricket apart from the games which aren't televised.
The ECB, on the other hand, is utilising three 'radar' speed devices, similar to those used in baseball, to track the speeds of England's certified fast bowlers across the country this summer.
They were in use last week at The Oval, Wantage Road, and Edgbaston, where Jamie Overton was measured at a high speed of almost 90mph/145kph. However, according to the ECB, there is a three mph disparity between bowlers' rates as measured by radar guns and those used in televised games, implying that Overton's actual highest speed was much greater.
In addition to fast bowlers' average and high speeds, ECB scouts will be looking for a drop-off in pace during and between stints, which will show a player's ability to maintain top rates during a four-day game.
Instead of depending on first-hand scouting reports or speeds from televised white-ball games, the data will allow batters' ability against high-pace bowlers to be analysed more accurately.
In the long run, the ECB is working on a project to bring ball-tracking technology throughout County cricket, which it feels will be a huge step forward in terms of talent identification and scouting.
It will include Umpires wearing small GoPro-style cameras on their coats or hats, with trials staged at the high-performance centre at Loughborough last year.
 "Pritish Raj")
