Drakes, Williams hugely impressed after WICB workshop
Region’s Data and Video Analysts gain new idea
Bridgetown, Barbados – Two senior regional coaches have lauded the West Indies Cricket Board for hosting a seminar on the use of technology in the sport, urging players across the Caribbean to embrace the benefits.
Vasbert Drakes and Stuart Williams, two former West Indies players, said they were extremely impressed with what they saw during the recent Data and Video Analysis Workshop for Statistical Analysts.
Both completed the full programme which was facilitated by Richard Berridge, the long-standing Video & Statistical Analyst of the West Indies team.
Williams, a former Nevis opening batsman and Leeward Islands captain, is the current head coach of the Leewards senior team. He has also worked with the West Indies A Team.
"As a coach, I was really happy to be part of the seminar," said Williams. "It was fantastic! It was really good to see first-hand the level of technology that is available to players and coaches, and more importantly, how to use it in the day-to-day running of your team.
"I would like to urge all the players across the Caribbean to get on board with technology as they seek to get better. The game has evolved. We cannot afford to fall behind. It is very important to have this data available as it helps with the communication between coaches and players."
Drakes is a former Barbados all-rounder. He is currently a member of the Barbados Cricket Association’s coaching staff.
"It is really pleasing to see that the WICB has found it necessary and important to stage such an event like this to enhance the skills of everyone involved," he said. "This is a crucial area of the game in the modern era.
"I was happy to be part of the seminar and interact with the others. It is very important to keep up-to-date with the modern way the game is played and the way of transferring knowledge and ideas. By attending this seminar, I now have a better idea of how to utilise the technology and how to enhance my job and the better assist the players at all levels."
The two-day seminar was funded by the WICB and hosted by Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados.
The WICB continued its initiative towards educating and enhancing the skills of people involved in the game and invited several participants from around the region, all of whom were recommended by their territorial boards.
The Data and Video Analysis Workshop for Statistical Analysts covered over 20 hours of core work and has been broken down into several components.
The main areas were:
i) understanding the need for technology in the modern game;
ii) the effective use of technology in the modern game;
iii) capturing data for all versions of the game;
iv) capturing and labelling data from a "live" match;
v) analysing and assessing data;
vi) presenting data for effective use by players, coaches and team officials and match officials.