It may take a while before the playing field is levelled but the Asian Cricket Council is making a start. A four-day intensive ‘technology orientation programme’, which began in Chennai yesterday, is seen as the first step towards imparting cricket technology to member nations like China and Afghanistan.The programme, at the MRF Pace Foundation, includes ‘live practical analysis sessions’ involving the academy’s bowling coach Dennis Lillee, Team India’s computer analyst Subramanian Ramakrishnan (‘Ramki’), three development officers from the ACC — Rumesh Ratnayeke and Brendan Kuruppu from Sri Lanka, and India’s Vece Paes — and rookie bowlers training at the academy.The plan, Paes told The Sunday Express, is to build and train a team that can travel and spread the technology in all the countries where cricket is being promoted.‘‘For the past three years, when Team India adopted the Silicon Coach analysis software, the ACC has been closely monitoring its effectiveness’’, Paes said. ‘‘Once found satisfactory, it was decided to implement it in the ACC’s long-term programme.’’The star of the show is Dennis Lillee, who will conduct the live, practical video-recording and analysis sessions. ‘‘We will put to use all the three software at our disposal’’, Ramki said. ‘‘First, there will be the usual video-recording sessions using these software, and Lillee will oversee the pacers having a go at the academy nets. The next step will see the Australian coach sit with the development officers and the academy’s bowlers and conduct the eventual intensive analysis sessions using the software.’’
