ENGvIND: Ollie Pope to field with camera on helmet in Edgbaston Test

There will be a new Live TV experience for viewers as the International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have approved the introduction of a head-mounted camera on the short leg fielder. 

England's close-in fielder Ollie Pope will sport the camera on his lid and the Sky official has said the move has not only got the green signal from the boards but also the captain and coach of the England team. 

It will start beaming pictures from the England-India Test which starts today. 

"It is intended at giving the viewers a unique perspective from the middle of a Test match," Robin Reeve, the senior producer of Sky Sports, told Cricbuzz on Thursday.

Sky has done research on this and has felt that the short leg fielder is the best option for the experiment. "If it goes well, perhaps we try others," Reeve replied to a specific query. It was tried out during The Hundred tournament last year in England.

Even in the Big Bash League, it was attempted, and in those instances, the cameras were on the batsmen's heads. "We are always looking to innovate and the images looked incredible in The Hundred," Reeve disclosed.

The ICC said it has given the go-ahead. The permission given was on the lines of the ICC operation regulations for broadcast technology on and over the field of play in ODIs and T20Is, which state:

"Head mounted cameras may be worn by umpires and/or players in ODIs and T20 Internationals (both men and women), with the express agreement of both the Host Board, and each player or umpire that is going to wear the broadcast equipment.

b) If the camera is mounted on/in a batting helmet, it is the responsibility of the Host Board to ensure the helmet remains compliant with the relevant safety standard."