Wireless stump camera system wins global hackathon at ICC Men’s CWC 2023

The ICC and Nium, the global platform for on-demand money movement, on Friday announced the Next In Hackathon game-changing winning idea by team StumpEye which will provide a groundbreaking wireless stump camera system offering in-depth batting and bowling analysis.

The second edition, saw double the number of registrations that were recorded at the first Hackathon earlier in the year with more than 22,000 entries from 119 countries including Kenya, Nepal and Nigeria.

The ICC and NIUM wanted to harness the world’s brightest minds to create revolutionary ideas for the sport. The teams were challenged to develop ideas across three key areas: fan experience, grassroots cricket and performance analytics.

In an exclusive event held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ahead of the Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final, the winning team StumpEye showcased a prototype that has the potential to transform the cricket experience offering an insightful perspective on the game for grassroots cricketers around the world, an ICC media release said.

The wireless stump camera system will provide unique features: including bringing Decision Review System (DRS) technology to the lower levels of cricket, Coach Connect which will bridge the gap between offsite coaches and players/parents in grassroots cricket and Umpire's Mate which logs important elements of what happens in games. Additionally, the technology offers in-depth batting and bowling analysis.

The Hackathon saw seven passionate shortlisted teams invited to present their concepts and creations to a panel of prestigious judges, Anil Kumble, Next In Hackathon Ambassador; Finn Bradshaw, ICC Head of Digital; Ankit Gupta, NIUM Chief Architect; Jeremiah Glodoveza – NIUM Senior VP, Brand & Communications and Rebecca Hopkins, STA Group CEO. In addition, there were representatives from reputable venture funds and sports organisations to support and provide industry expertise to the teams.

Among the concepts submitted, 42% focused on improving the experience for fans, 35% centred on aiding grassroots cricket and 23% aimed to improve cricket performance through analytics. The registered teams were from a variety of different backgrounds including schools, colleges, corporate business and start-ups, with an average age of 26.

The winning entry from team StumpEye said, “We are so thrilled to win the ICC NIUM Next In 2.0 Hackathon. It's been a tremendous journey for us from an idea that sprung from a personal experience of coaching my son. We wish to sincerely thank the ICC and NIUM for providing us the platform, the opportunity and the chance to express our idea and help us take the big leap! Dreams do come true and ICC and NIUM have just helped us realize that.”

ICC Head of Digital, Finn Bradshaw said, "At the ICC we are always looking for ways to inspire love of cricket. The ideas presented at Next In 2.0 delivered that in abundance. It was so inspiring to see the passion and talent on display from all the finalists. Congratulations to the winners StumpEye and thanks to our partners Nium for sharing in our vision and helping make this a reality.”

Jeremiah Glodoveza, NIUM Senior VP, Brand & Communications said, “The finalists for the Nium and ICC Next In Hackathon represent the best-of-the-best technology ideas in cricket, today. These concepts show a bright future for the game and we celebrate the high level of innovation on global display."

Hackathon Ambassador Anil Kumble said, “The Next In Hackathon has once again provided us with innovative enhancements for all fans of cricket. There is a growing importance of technology in sport and how it improves the experience for all stakeholders of the game. I am excited to see how all the ideas that were presented to us for fan experience, grassroots cricket and performance analytics can have a positive impact on cricket in the long-term.”

Nium is a global leader in real-time cross-border money movement services and is the official Fintech infrastructure partner to the ICC. As a champion of global growth, Nium celebrates innovation and leadership in business, sport, and beyond.(UNI)