JOHANNESBURG, May 11: The new generation of budding cricket batsmen in South Africa could soon be given a helping hand by the latest technological advances.

The country’s leading sport’s scientists have designed a pressure sensitive bat that can accurately measure where the ball hits the blade.

The invention allows coaches to pinpoint flaws in a batsman’s technique and help players make adjustments that will enable them to middle the ball more regularly.

The blade of the “Better Batter” bat is covered with 48 pressure pads that are linked to a computer.

The computer generates an image of the bat showing to within 12 millimetres where each ball strikes the blade.—PPI