Cricket used to be driven by instinct. A captain might read the pitch, get a gut feeling about a bowler, and stick with it. That’s just part of the game, but now strategy is shaped by something else: advanced analytics apps. Coaches, players, and analysts are using them to decide batting orders, field placements, and even mid-over bowling changes.
These aren’t just score trackers, too. They’re full-scale decision-making tools that crunch ball-by-ball data, factor in player form, and simulate match outcomes before a single ball is bowled. The difference? Well, everything is now about speed and precision.
Why Teams Rely on Analytics Apps Now
Many would agree that modern cricket has too much information to process manually. Pitch history, player fatigue levels, opposition weaknesses… It’s all there, and analytics apps make them usable.
On the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Eoin Morgan explained how England used CricViz data in the 2019 World Cup:
“We had match-up sheets for every opposition. It told us who to target, when to accelerate, and where to hold back. The batting order wasn’t random, as it was built on those numbers.”
The WASP model, developed in New Zealand, has also become a staple. It calculates win probabilities using current game conditions and factors like wickets, overs, and scoring rates. In the 2015 Cricket World Cup pool match between New Zealand and Australia, WASP showed NZ’s chances at 52% mid-chase. Moments later, Australia collapsed, and the model’s swing to 80% proved spot-on.
For analysts like Amol Desai, who spoke on the Red Inker Podcast, the challenge isn’t generating the data, it’s making players trust it:
“If you can show them a chart and say, ‘Remember that over in Mumbai? Here’s why it worked:’ they’ll believe it. It’s about linking numbers to memories.”
The Apps That Changed Strategy
There are now different apps and platforms that coaches, players, or even just the fans themselves can use to look into team strategies. Here are some popular options:
- CricViz – Known for WinViz, its live win probability graph, and deep ball-by-ball breakdowns. During the 2022 T20 World Cup final, CricViz highlighted that Pakistan’s strike rate against Adil Rashid was 30% lower than their tournament average. England doubled Rashid’s overs early, and it paid off.
- WASP – Specializes in score and chase predictions. In ODIs, where innings patterns are more consistent. Some say it’s been frighteningly accurate, especially after calling the final score within five runs in multiple 2021 England vs India matches.
- Impact Index – Focuses on context, rating performances based on the match situation. In the 2016 IPL final, it ranked Ben Cutting’s cameo as the most impactful performance of the match, despite him not being the top scorer.
- CricHQ – Popular in domestic and grassroots cricket for live scoring and stat tracking. It’s helped semi-pro teams start planning with data they never had before.
- 10CRIC app – While it’s known more for betting, it now mirrors the kind of live stats and predictive tools coaches use, including updated win probabilities, player matchup histories, and in-play performance metrics. For fans following a game, it’s as close as you’ll get to the analyst’s desk without being in the dressing room.
How Teams Apply the Data
The best teams don’t drown players in stats, though. Instead, they give them one or two clear, actionable points. A bowler might be told: “His strike rate drops 40% if you start with two dots.” A batter might get advice like: “Watch for the slower ball. It’s 12 kph slower than his stock delivery and usually comes after a bouncer.”
Gaurav Sundararaman, speaking on ESPN’s Stump Mic podcast, said that even in commentary, win probability isn’t about the number itself, but the story it tells:
“If a team’s at 60% and drops to 45% in one over, the audience understands that something significant just happened. The same goes for players. They see the shift, and it reinforces urgency.”
This is why most coaching staff now travel with analysts who can feed live app data directly into strategy meetings between overs. It’s quick, targeted, and cuts through the noise.
Summary
Advanced analytics apps have taken cricket strategy to a different level. They’ve turned vague hunches into measurable probabilities, and they’ve made preparation sharper. But as every coach will tell you, they’re not foolproof.
As Ricky Ponting said on an ICC match Review, “Data gives you the best percentage play, but cricket’s still played by humans. You can have all the numbers and still get beaten by a player having the day of his life.”
Cricket will always have its unpredictability, but with the right analytics tools, it can be easier to understand what truly needs to be improved.