Cricket bowling machine masters spin and swing, but not spitballs

With America almost done fielding its entire robotic baseball team (so far we've got a hitter, shortstop, and a catcher), researchers over in Britain knew that they'd better "get on the ball" and start working on some improved cricketbots in order to keep up in this roboathlete arms race. After two years of hard work and many frail scientists getting pegged by errant cricket balls, professors and students at Loughborough University have finally perfected the latest automated bowler (that's cricket's version of the pitcher) which is able to put any combination of spin and swing on the ball. The machine achieves this human-like feat through a two-part system composed of spinning wheels and corkscrew rifling down the barrel, and is so adept at mimicking professional bowlers that it can recreate the so-called "ball of the century," a 1993 delivery by Shane Warne that made nearly a 90-degree turn between the leg stump and the batter's off-stump (we don't really understand it either, but apparently it was quite an achievement). Up next for the Loughborough team is adding a visual element to their bot, wherein the projection of a human bowler would appear in front of the machine in order to make training sessions that much more realistic. When asked what it thought it about the latest and greatest in automated English projectile hurling, the robotic welly-wanger we recently featured paused for a second, took a sip from its pint of Guinness Boddington's, and slurred, "Bollocks to that bloody twit -- I'll load up a welly and kick its arse."

[Rohit Kapur @ Oct 6th 2006 12:39PM]

"we don't really understand it either, but apparently it was quite an achievement"

Believe me, it was. I don't particularly like cricket, but I've seen enough of it (being Indian). That ball was a jaw-dropper, even if you have no clue what cricket is.

[homer jay @ Oct 6th 2006 12:45PM]

Cricket rocks! is there a video of this thing in action?

[John Resig @ Oct 6th 2006 12:58PM]

After a quick search, I found the video:
http://rapidshare.de/files/562647/Warne_Vs_Gatting.wmv.html

Based upon my crude knowledge of Cricket - the important part is that the ball completely changes direction, then knocks down the wicket (aka: he's "out"), without the batter being able to do anything. I'm impressed.

[Xavier Gill @ Oct 6th 2006 12:51PM]

You tube of the "Ball Of The Century" http://youtube.com/watch?v=aYzH1R36D_k

[Xavier Gill @ Oct 6th 2006 12:57PM]

Also, if ur impressed by fat Americans catching a ball with a laundry basket on their wrists then check these out : http://youtube.com/results?search_type=search_videos&search_query=cricket%20catch&search_sort=video_view_count&search_category=0

[Shaun @ Oct 6th 2006 12:58PM]

Leaving aside robots drinking ales, I presume you mean Guinness, but what would any self respecting English cricket robot or Welsh Welly Wanging robot be doing drinking an Irish drink?

It's just not cricket.

[Graham H. @ Oct 6th 2006 1:24PM]

why does it have the chase bank logo on it?

[kernelpanic @ Oct 6th 2006 1:29PM]

Here is a youtubr video. Though the video is not clear, it gives an idea of how much the ball turned after hitting the ground (pitch in cricket terms)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66I1YDOKcGI

[kelly @ Oct 6th 2006 2:19PM]

"That ball was a jaw-dropper, even if you have no clue what cricket is."

umm, no. it's called bouncing a ball that has spin on it... if you've been on a playground before you've seen it a million times. big whoop.

[meridian506 @ Oct 6th 2006 3:27PM]

Kelly, the impressive fact about this ball is that when the ball leaves Warne's hand you have no idea if it is going to spin left, right or forward (faster than when it hit the ground). A great leg-spinner can hide is finger action without the need for a bloody big glove.

[lance @ Oct 6th 2006 2:38PM]

SLow day for the En!

[Sarah @ Oct 6th 2006 3:31PM]

"umm, no. it's called bouncing a ball that has spin on it... if you've been on a playground before you've seen it a million times. big whoop."

Ah yes, and you clearly have shown that someone that has NO CLUE about cricket, probably shouldn't waste the time to attempt to talk about it, because all it will do will show their own stupidity.

Course, what do I know, I've just played the game tons.

This machine sounds excellent, and as much as I don't like Warne, the man could play, so being able to reproduce his performance is impressive.

[Pete @ Oct 6th 2006 4:19PM]

Now that was a wicked googly!

[nimzovich @ Oct 6th 2006 5:02PM]

it is not googly..googly turns the other way...this
one is traditional leg break

[fine leg @ Oct 6th 2006 7:08PM]

Meridian... although 'kelly' is an obvious cricketing drongo, Warney's a wristy, not a finger spinner. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrist_spin for details.

[camson @ Oct 6th 2006 8:48PM]

Even though this isn't the ball of the century shot.. this is still an amazing wicket. Look at that spin!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw5_hLpcGEo

[Matt @ Oct 6th 2006 9:28PM]

wonder if it can recreate the infamous Underarm bowl by Trevor Chappel when Australia played New Zealand in a One day test match .

New Zealand needed six runs to win on the last ball and if you hit the ball over the fence in cricket you get six runs .Greg Chappel the captain at the time told his brother Trevor Chappel to deliver a underarm bowl so the Kiwi Batsman had no oprotunity to hit a "Six".

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1523230642166520760

As an Aussie that lives in the US Im starved for any Cricket talk .

[fine leg @ Oct 6th 2006 9:50PM]

wikipedia's entry for the 'Ball Of The Century' says; "During the 2005 Ashes series, the long-retired Gatting buckled on a pair of pads again to venture out to the Old Trafford crease during the third Test's lunch break and sportingly re-created the Ball Of The Century with an automated bowling machine programmed to deliver leg spin."

[fine leg @ Oct 7th 2006 12:51AM]

Matt, cricinfo.com should fulfill all your needs for cricket talk. 'Tis the season with the upcoming Ashes tour and all that.

[Will @ Oct 7th 2006 6:36AM]

It looks like a monster. And for any cricket-starved Aussies in the US, or indeed anywhere else, come to The Corridor for all your cricket blogging needs. SHAMELESS plug, sorry.

[Will @ Oct 7th 2006 6:37AM]

Oh dear, sorry - forgot the link: http://www.cricket.mailliw.com

I should probably mention my employers Cricinfo too: http://cricinfo.com for all your cricketing needs

[Amrith @ Oct 10th 2006 11:21AM]

champions trophy started yet? cant wait to watch some cricket!
Imagine if this replaces your conventional bowlers at net sessions..