Maximizing on real-time analytics and data

The winner in any professional sporting contest usually comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes and/or who is able to adapt to the prevailing situation and maximize on it better. And doing this depends as much on grit and determination as much as it does on knowing how an opponent is likely to react to strategies and tactics.

As a result, to glean as much insight as possible about opponents' style and tactics, coaches, athletes and teams dedicate a lot of time in studying video footage and analytics from previous contests. This helps them to understand opponents, identify their strengths and weaknesses and be able to formulate tactics that will help with ensuring success.

This is how cricket teams have always gone about their business. Study the opponents before matches and come up with a plan.

Needless to highlight, cricket has always been a numbers game, in addition to video analysis statistics like batting and bowling averages have always informed teams on decisions of who and how to play in certain matches and particular tournaments. They have always determined the makeup of teams as coaches and selectors sought to find the right balance. It gave teams a competitive advantage.

However, even though it is still efficient, it is not a foolproof way to ensure victory. One of the reasons being that not everything goes according to plan. After all, sports are complex, non-linear events where multiple factors are always in play.

Game situations and how opposition responds at the moment can counter plans made on the strength of prior information. Therefore, it may very well become necessary that the captain thinks on his/her feet, modifying the recommendations made by the coach or sometimes abandoning them for alternative plans.

Sometimes the captain gets it right. Sometimes they do not. And this is where analysts who can provide real-time data feedback to the captain to help them with making decisions come in handy.

The England team made use of that during the recent T20 tour to South Africa. England’s analyst, Nathan Lemon, signalled messages to Eoin Morgan in a series of large numbers or letters on clipboards that were visible from the field. The idea was to help Morgan in his decision-making.

This is not the future of T20 cricket, it is the present. Real-time data is so much more important that it could be the difference between winning or losing. Capturing and analyzing real-time information and passing it on to assist in decision-making is now key to optimal performance.

As Morgan said, “It’s about maximising information we are taking in and measuring it against things, like the coach’s recommendation or the data."

Following South Africa's defeat in the first T20 against Pakistan, a lot of discussions were centred around who to blame for the loss. Of course, this is the knee-jerk reaction of a large number of Proteas fans: the loss has to be someone's fault. Someone didn't bat quick enough, someone didn't bat well enough, and so forth. Granted, there are areas that could do with improvement.

But, the critical point was raised by an analyst, Dan Weston of Sports Analytics Advantage, in a chat we had. Sometimes players are unaware of benchmark intent levels required at various points of the game. This is where real-time analytics are a gamechanger. Instead of letting batters fall too far behind or take the risk of trying to go too fast, real-time data will help them structure their innings much better. It will also help with alleviating scoreboard pressure.

The scoreboard will tell players how many more runs they need, and at what rate per over. But, what it does not do is break down the figures to how many possible runs a batter can target from a particular bowler depending on their proficiency or the bowler's current form against them. Scoreboard figures are not tailored to maximise individual batter strength.

The same is true for the times when a team is fielding. Analysts can provide real-time data and feedback on the most efficient field setting and bowling combination to employ. Some might see this as stripping down the captain's power and responsibilities, but it is not. It is providing the captain with crucial assistance for him/her to carry out their duty to the fullest. At the end of the day, it takes good teamwork for a team to win.

Real-time data and information will not solve all of the Proteas' problems, in fact, no one thing can. They can only be solved by making small improvements in various departments. By making what Dave Brailsford calls, “performance by the aggregation of marginal gains.”

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