It is believed that Cricket has been the biggest winner regarding technological advancements, with the increase in television quality helping to aid the umpires in their decision making -
which is arguably the toughest
in sport.
“
”
The introduction of a third umpire in test cricket was a major step, with the umpire being employed to assist the two on-field umpires - sitting away from the ground with access to video replays for contentious decisions. This was quickly followed by the introduction of a referral system, which has gained more critics than support in its recent existence, with many believing it to be a lengthy process - which in turn slows the game down.
These are joined alongside the snick-o-meter and hotspot as Cricket's main forms of technology, but it is the latter which will not be available for use when the next Ashes series gets underway. Hotspot uses infra-red technology to decipher whether the batsman has hit the ball or whether it has hit their pads - a crucial decision which could see the batsman given out depending on the circumstances.
Australian TV station Channel Nine have cited their reasons to drop hotspot as being the cost of implementing the system, but it's poor performance during the Ashes probably didn't help matters. The silicon-tape controversy was just one of many downfalls of the system, after a Channel Nine report alleged that a number of English batsman used tape to evade hotspot - a theory that was soon put to bed.
However, the protective coatings used on bats meant that a number of decisions on hot spot were controversial to say the least - with the likes of Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith all involved in controversies during the summer. In general though, Cricket has proven to be one of the pioneers of sporting technologies and since it's inception, the general reception has been a positive one, with many regarding the decision to be a relative success.
There is also football - namely UEFA and FIFA - who seem incredibly hesitant towards the use of technology, and only recently accepted the use of goal line technology after the controversial decision not to award England with an equaliser against Germany in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Many against the use of technology to help officials argue that it ruins the game and slows it down, whilst those on the other side of the fence say that it makes the game much more enjoyable to see the correct decisions being made. It is a tough call, but the evidence points towards the latter being true.
However, the decision to drop hotspot from the upcoming Ashes series signals that times could be changing, with technology enthusiasts anticipating a difficult struggle to convince sporting stars to see the positives of their work.
The Adidas Teamgeist II with implanted chip
37