Women's T20 World Cup 2024 to feature Smart Replay: All you need to know about technology that was used in IPL 2024

The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup will be the first International Cricket Council (ICC) event to use the Smart Replay system, cricket's global governing body has said in a statement. The system was seen in action in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) and the England's The Hundred but this will be the first time that it will be used in international cricket. The Women's T20 World Cup starts on October 3.(File)

"The coverage will feature a minimum of 28 cameras at every game, and will be complemented by a variety of analytical and visual enhancements. The Decision Review System (DRS) will also be available at all matches, with a Hawk-Eye Smart Replay System in place that enables the TV umpire to instantly review synchronized multi-angle footage for accurate decision-making," the ICC stated in a release.

What is the Smart Replay System

The system is intended to increase the speed of decisions that come through the DRS. The usual practice is for the TV broadcast director to act as a conduit between the Hawk-Eye operators and the third umpire. With the Smart Replay System in place the operators would be in the same room as the third umpire, making communication between the two parties.

Apart from this speeding up the process of checking a decision, the TV umpires also get access to more visuals than they previously had access to, including split-screen images.

If the umpire sees a clear gap between bat and ball, they won't check the ultra-edge and straightaway go into checking the main portion of the dismissal. When checking stumpings, the umpires will have access to a split screen of front-on and side-on visuals.

The ninth edition of the Women's T20 World Cup, being hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), starts on October 3. Bangladesh face Scotland in Sharjah at 3.30pm IST after which Pakistan play Sri Lanka at the same venue at 7.30pm IST on October 3 to kick off the proceedings. India will face New Zealand on Friday in Dubai at 7.30pm IST right after 2016 champions West Indies play South Africa at the same venue.

Australia are the defending champions, having won the last three tournaments on the trot. In fact, Australia have been the champions all but twice in the history of the tournament, with England winning the inaugural edition in 2009 and West Indies winning in 2016. They are now looking to win their seventh title and face Sri Lanka in their opening match of the tournament on Saturday at 3.30pm IST in Sharjah. India, meanwhile, have reached the final just once - in 2020 when they lost to Australia by 85 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Click here to read article