How local cricketers can be at forefront of cricket technology ‘gamechanger’
Backed by Cricket Australia, Greg Chappell and Ravi Ashwin, Str8bat sensors could put the next Test aspirant – or the average Saturday slogger – at the forefront of cricket’s newest technology.
Local cricketers will never get a sniff of Snicko or Hawk-Eye.
However, your Saturday slogger could be at the forefront of the next technological advance in cricket analytics.
Indian company Str8bat has launched in Australia, offering elite-level analysis for players from Test cricket aspirants to Fifth XI synthetic battler.
Backed by Cricket Australia, the Str8bat Pro is a sensor that sticks to the back of the bat and can capture motion without cameras, delivering 360-degree metrics to your phone.
It can measure bat lift, bat speed, sweet spot impact and then recommend technique changes.
Australian rising star Samara Dulvin was one of the first customers and credits the technology in her rise to the Australian Under-19s.
“COVID happened, which was obviously a terrible thing, but it actually helped my cricket improve and the main reason was Str8bat,” Dulvin said on Instagram.
Str8bat had been used by Indian Premier League clubs and private academies or national team programs, Cricket Australia came on board in 2019.
However, co-creator and CEO Gagan Daga said it was stories like Dulvin’s that helped him develop the technology for personal use.
Dulvin, 18, recently captained Australia’s Under-19s, was named Player of the Tournament at the 2024 Under-19 National Championships and is contracted by Victoria.
“We never used to do retail but she became our first retail customer, this was 2019 and then COVID happened, so she didn’t have any coaches or matches to play and all she had was Str8bat,” Daga said.
“I met Samara in 2024 and she told me her story, her technique and how she better understood her game was thanks to Str8bat – I told her she was giving it far too much credit because the main product is the player.
“We’re support staff if you will, the player has to play and deal with the pressure, but having said that 91 per cent of players have improved their batting.”
Preston captain Vaib Deshpande has been using the sensor and believed it would have been a “gamechanger” if it had been available when he was younger.
“I said the Gagan if you’d come up with the product when I was playing First Class cricket in India it would have changed the entire trajectory of my career,” Deshpande said.
“It gives you so many insights into how you’re approaching each ball and each shot. Those insights are super helpful.
“As a player, if I can see what I’m doing and what changes I need to make, it makes it easier because each coach I’ve worked with all have different perspectives.
“It’s an amazing companion for any cricketer to have, irrespective of their age or what level of cricket they are playing.”
Ahead of the product’s launch in Australia Gagan said it was aimed at the local market, not just those with top-level aspirations.
Australian legend Greg Chappell is a major contributor and all in-app coaching recommendations are based off his advice.
“That’s the whole vision, that every local player can have the opportunity to get better, have fun and have access to analysis that isn’t just for professionals,” Daga said.
“It is relevant for anybody who plays the game, 30 per cent of customers are amateur cricketers like you and me, who have no aspiration to play at the highest level or make money from cricket – only spend money on cricket.
“It is for everyone who plays the game, it doesn’t just have metrics, it gives you recommendations because not everyone has access to coaches.
“We have our own AI platform that personalises recommendations based on the metrics so that players can improve their technique.”
Technologies such as Snicko, Hot Spot and ball tracking have become commonplace in cricket broadcasting.
Daga revealed Test greats such as Ravi Ashwin were using Str8bat in post-match shows to analysis performances.
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“Imagine for every shot played you can get analysis, what was his bat lift angle, what was the bat speed,” he said.
“One of the most prolific players to play Test cricket figured out that his sweet spot consistency improved by 157 per cent with a change in bat lift angle.
“There is a channel by Ravi Ashwin, he uses Str8 Bat to analyse biomechanics after every match.
“We recreate the entire motion in the 360 degrees, you can see the bat path from every angle possible, it’s not just metrics it’s visual.”
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