Cricket is popular on the continent. Not as popular as football, not as popular in OAPI, probably not top of mind in Egypt or Sudan at the moment but entrenched entertainment in many ARIPO member states. Maybe it even says something that ICC laws have been domesticated in many ARIPO countries but the ARIPO protocol has not. I digress.
This blogger follows Jonty Rhodes - a one-time hockey teammate - on Facebook who happens to be helping Kenya prepare their side for the upcoming World Cup one days series. His post today showed some amazing pictures of the ProBatter bowling machine - developed from technology used in baseball - that simulates bowlers to help batsmen prepare against them. It's more than an X-Box and it's about as depressing for bowlers as 20/20, flat tracks and big bats. It's also surrounded by a host of interesting IP issues such as rights in content and performance, sponsor rights, branding, technology transfer, licensing and patentability.
If anyone wants to write a guest post for Afro-IP on this topic please write to afroipmail@gmail.com otherwise Afro Leo may have a go.
You can check out the concept as photographed and captioned by Jonty at a training camp in Dubai here, here, here, here and here. And if you wanted to know how England won the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years watch the clip below (the ECB deny it but it seems that Strauss and the lads had been facing Hilfenhaus, Johnson and co for at least a year beforehand). And if Daryll Cullinan reads this post I am sure he wont be ruing the cash in IPL as much as the chance to practice (in private) against Warne's flipper!
