Pakistan NCA's biomechanics lab to be operation soon

The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to activate its biomechanics laboratory at the National Cricket Academy here after the costly equipment remained unused and neglected for years.

Pakistan's former Test captain and now NCA Director Intikhab Alam said the Governing Board had given approval for the project which once operational, would make Pakistan the first Asian cricket playing nation to have a full fledged biomechanics lab.

"The biomechanics laboratory will be made functional very soon since it is clear that in modern day cricket the use of technology and latest equipment is now becoming a necessity," Alam said.

The PCB, during the tenure of Dr Nasim Ashraf as President, had in 2008 purchased the costly equipment for the biomechanics lab at a cost of around Rs 45 million.

But once the equipment was imported it was not used for various reasons. Sources said one reason was that no Board head was willing to give approval for maintenance costs and funds to hire qualified professionals to run the biomechanics lab.

A former Board official, who was in office when the equipment was brought to Lahore, admitted costly equipment had been badly neglected.

"It is a good thing that finally someone in the board has realised the importance of using this very modern equipment and in Pakistan cricket we have regular issues with bowling actions of bowlers and need this equipment to correct their actions at an early stage," the former official said.

The equipment that was procured from the UK-based Vicon Motion Systems Limited includes Advanced Motion Capture Architecture and operates with 18 motion-capture cameras and six high-speed video cameras.

Alam said the equipment could also be very useful for batsmen.

He said that once the building is ready for the lab, experts from Vicon would install it and the project will be managed by a biomechanics expert, doctors, a mathematician, computer analysts and coaches.

"The PCB realises the scope of this equipment and how it can used in the development of our players. We know it can also help prevent injuries and used in rehabilitation processes," he added.

Alam said the equipment was in good shape though the software needed some upgrading. Once operational, the PCB will be the only Board in Asia to own a biomechanics lab.

Until now the PCB has incurred heavy costs on sending players with suspect bowling actions to Australia for tests and corrective measures.