Hot Spot short for all World Cup matches
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Hot Spot cameras are unlikely to assist umpires in all of the matches of next year’s cricket World Cup in the subcontinent due to a shortage of equipment.
A Melbourne-based firm that supplies the technology told cricinfo.com on Wednesday that it has only four Hot Spot cameras which would limit it to providing Hot Spot for only quarterfinals onwards.
Under the Umpire Decision Review System, off-field umpires assist their onfield colleagues — through Hot Spot — whether the batsman had edged the ball or not.
Owner of BBG Sports Warren Brennan told the website he had already informed the International Cricket Council about the shortage of Hot Spot cameras.
An ICC spokesperson said it was aware of the shortage, and was in discussions with BBG as recently as two weeks ago about the matter.
Brennan said an additional eight to 10 Hot Spot cameras were needed to cover all of the 50 World Cup matches and it takes lot of time to manufacture them. Only four or five companies in the world have the know-how to make the Hot Spot cameras.
Brennan said the Hot Spot cameras required security clearances from various governments, which can take up to three months to complete since they are classified as military equipment.
The cost of Hot Spot infrared imaging technology is also on the high side, costing $6,000 per day for a two-camera setup and $10,000 per day for a four-camera setup.
The World Cup is being jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in February and March.
The ICC spokesperson said Hot Spot cameras were “desirable” but not a requirement at this point.
The ICC’s minimum requirements for the referral system includes ball-tracking technology (Hawk-Eye), super slow-motion cameras and a clean audio feed from the stump microphone. -AP
Labels: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
posted @ 10:16 AM,
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