World Cup: All you need to know about Zing Bails
In this decade, international cricket has seen a lot of changes from hawk-eye to snickometer. Further, the acceptance of technology has made things easier for the umpires, helping it become clean. One of the innovations that has been in the headlines of late, for wrong reasons, is the LED bails or the Zing bails. While many wonder how these bails work, we explain here.
What are LED or Zing bails?
The LED or Zing bails are smart bails using modern technology. The functionality of these bails is designed in such a way that it can determine if the bails have been dislodged off the stumps. On successful dislodging, the bails light up, indicating that the dislodge process has been completed, thereby, allowing the umpires to award the correct verdict.
How much do Zing bails cost?
While the previous bails and stumps were made of wood, the Zing bails and stumps are made of composite plastic. As for their price, a pair of bails costs as much as an iPhone, due to its precision of checking the dislodging process.
How do Zing bails work?
The bails have low volt batteries that power them. They also contain a microprocessor, which detects the contact between the bails and the stumps. The bails light up within the 1/1000th of a second, following complete dislodge of both the ends off the stumps. Following the dislodge, the microprocessor sends a radio signal to the stumps to light up.
Laws of dismissal involving stumps
As per MCC Laws, a batsman can only be dismissed on being bowled, stumped or run out, after a complete and successful dislodge of at least a bail off the stump. Successful dislodge means that both the ends of the bail needs to be off.
Introduction of Zing bails
The Zing bails were developed by former Australian grade cricketer Bronte Eckermann. It was introduced in cricket after three years of research. The Big Bash League (BBL) was the first tournament to introduce these bails in 2012. It was approved for international use by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2013. Since then, it has been used in most white-ball matches.
Why are the bails not falling during World Cup 2019?
The ICC World Cup 2019 has already seen three instances where the bails have refused to fall off. Although the reason is still unknown, it could be due to the weight of the bails, since it has a number of components. Interesting, as per laws, there is no designated weight limit on the bails. Thus, ICC has some work to do in this regard.
