ECB & NV Play use live data to spot cricket talent

NV Play is working with the England and Wales Cricket Board on a system to track cricket talent across the country. The arrangement gives ECB staff a shared view of players through live match video, scoring and performance data.

The system is being used across the ECB talent pathway, including regional fixtures leading to the Bunbury Festival and the Barclays Knight-Stokes Cup final at Lord's. It allows coaches, scouts and analysts to watch matches live or on demand, review the same footage and data, and contribute to selection and development discussions from different locations.

Talent identification in cricket has long been shaped by geography and timing, with players spread across many matches taking place at once. The ECB is using the platform to reduce reliance on in-person observations by making footage and data available to staff across hundreds of games.

"Now, coaches, scouts and analysts can watch every ball remotely, review the same evidence, and contribute to selection and development discussions as matches unfold," said Matt Pickering, Founder, NV Play.

ECB pathway staff draw on several sources of information when assessing players, including data, video, scouting reports and physical assessments, according to the governing body's National Talent Manager, Alun Powell.

"We gather a wide range of information, including data, video, scouting reports and physical assessments, to build a fuller picture of every player's current performance and future potential," said Powell.

Shared evidence

Bunbury, the under-15 pathway that has previously included players such as Ben Stokes and Joe Root, is one example of how the system is being applied. Matches leading into the festival are captured, streamed and analysed so staff can compare players using the same material, rather than separate live impressions formed at different grounds.

The shared evidence base is also intended to help staff make decisions more quickly. Analysts and coaches can watch the same match footage at the same time while working from different locations.

"Every coach, scout and analyst is now watching the same footage at the same time, wherever they are," said Scott Thomas, England Men's Pathway Analyst.

"It's given us a faster and richer way to find the next generation. We're less likely to miss players simply because we couldn't be everywhere at once," he added.

Player development

The platform is also being used beyond selection. Coaches can retrieve footage from specific moments in a match within seconds, allowing them to show young players visual examples linked to particular phases of play.

That means the same system supporting identification can also feed into coaching conversations. Video linked to scoring and other performance information gives staff a way to review incidents and discuss them with players soon after they happen.

NV Play has also been used to widen viewing access for youth and pathway cricket. It streamed the first Barclays Knight-Stokes Cup final, a competition aimed at state schools in the UK, to an online audience of almost 9,000, and also streamed the ECB Junior National Club Championship final at Lord's.

Pickering said the same infrastructure can serve both decision-makers and families following younger players. "Whether it's a scout watching a match remotely or a family watching their child play at Lord's from home, the same principle applies," he said.

"It gives more young cricketers the chance to be seen on the same evidence, wherever they are playing," Pickering added.

Founded in Christchurch, NV Play was spun out as a standalone company in 2018. The business says its platform is used across professional, pathway and community cricket in dozens of countries, including England and Wales, and that it operates in 57 countries.