Windies T20 Breakout League serves as training ground for next generation of analysts

As part of the strategic planning and development of the regional game, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has embarked on a journey to upskill data analysts during the ongoing West Indies Breakout League.

Avenesh Seetaram, the performance analyst with the senior men’s team, is conducting a series of workshops along with seminars and one-on-one in-game training and support with the six (6) analysts assigned to franchises competing in the West Indies Breakout League, which began on Friday, April 25, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The six regional analysts will go through several tutorial sessions that focus on enhancing their individual development, coordinating with their respective players and coaches as well as understanding what the role demands at the international level. This initiative is part of a wide-scale push to combine data analytics with game strategy while creating a pathway for regional analysts to develop an appreciation for the modern game.

CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, sees the involvement at the feeder level as instrumental in a strategic push to incorporate all the bases from the international level.

“These workshops are designed to upskill analysts and get them to align with best practices in analytics with the aim of broadening the pool of skilled analysts across the region. Given that we are embracing a data-driven approach to our cricket strategies, the players and coaches will have the opportunity to integrate real-time data into their strategies while the matches are in progress,” Bascombe said.

Seetaram sees this as a step in the right direction to ensure continuity and exposure.

“Data has become a critical part of the game internationally. The chance to enlighten and expose our next batch of analysts is important because it allows for our players to be involved at this level before they get to the international stage. As the game internationally takes shape, we are preparing ourselves and moulding those at the level below to aid in the transfer of information,” Seetaram said.

Seetaram added that the in-game situations will enable the analysts to derive plans for their respective teams and coaches during the match.

“I will be sitting with all of them for multiple games, helping each analyst utilize in-game analysis of data for use by their team. Additionally, I will be doing the same with preparation meetings for all teams to ensure the standards of information to players is consistent.” Sportsmax