The stumps or the wickets used in cricket are a mandatory component of cricket equipment. A set of stumps comprises three stumps on top of which two bails are rested. The entire stump set is made of wood. When bowlers bowl to batters, they aim to hit the stumps guarded by the batters. If the bails are dislodged, the batter is dismissed. Even for a run out or a stamped dismissal, it is mandatory for the bails to be dislodged.
In the second decade of the 21st century, a lot of technological innovations were made with the stumps. An in-built camera was fitted within the middle stump and a mic was placed in close proximity to the stumps. The camera gave the viewers a new perspective whereas the stump mic gave an insight to player conversations, thus increasing the engagement of broadcast viewers. The bails too were modified. Zing bails were introduced which lit up when the ball hit the stumps. Additionally, the stumps too bore LED lights which glowed the moment the ball made contact with the stumps.
An upgrade to the stumps to make them even more tech savvy came in 2023. These were the Electra stumps. They are estimated to have a worth of approximately 45 lakhs INR. These stumps were first introduced in the women’s Big Bash League.The Electra stumps are unique for the fact that they have a color code for every event that takes place on each delivery. This helps even the spectators in the stadium to get an idea of what event has taken place in a particular delivery.
– The stumps flash red lights and follow it with a vertically glowing pattern of lights that resembles a fire when the batter is out.
– The colors switch between green, purple, and pink colors if the ball is hit for a four. In case of a six, multiple colors glow up in a vertical pattern.
– If the stumps light up alternately between white and red colors, then a no ball is called.
– Purple and blue colors are seen on the stumps in between two overs.
The use of Electra stumps hasn’t been made available across all international tournaments. It is thus far restricted to Australian league events. If successful, they are likely to be seen in other T20 competitions.
