Augmented-Reality Cricket Experience Coming to Aotearoa
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will partner with global sports technology company BatFast to bring its interactive cricket experience to venues across New Zealand during the Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand, powered by Ai+ Nova Smartphone.
With support from NZC’s major sponsor, ANZ, the ANZ BatZone will let fans pick up a bat, test their skills, and use BatFast’s augmented-reality cricket simulator. The experience will allow participants to face and strike a real ball through the interactive setup.
The free-to-play activation will launch at a community event in Christchurch on 21 October. It will then feature at matches in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga between 22 October and 1 December.
Fans using the simulator can face a range of delivery types. Each shot will be mapped on a digital wagon wheel. The activation will also include built-in registration and queue management. Live leaderboards at the venues and an online leaderboard will allow participants to compare scores.
The partnership between NZC, BatFast and ANZ will bring the experience to New Zealand for the first time. Glenn Critchley, NZC’s Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, said the interactive cricket experience would form part of the match-day activation for fans.
Critchley said NZC was partnering with BatFast and ANZ to bring the experience to New Zealand for the first time. He also outlined NZC’s focus on connecting New Zealanders with cricket, developing the match-day experience and maintaining engagement with the community. He identified BatFast as the company selected to provide the interactive experience across Aotearoa.
The ANZ BatZone will therefore combine the simulator with the wider match-day and community activity planned around the India tour. It will launch at a Christchurch community event on 21 October, before appearing at matches in five New Zealand locations from 22 October to 1 December.
BatFast Senior Commercial Manager Jack Roddick said the simulator would give fans a chance to connect with the sport through participation. He said the partnership would link the excitement of the India series with an interactive cricket experience.
Roddick also said BatFast would take interactive cricket experiences to locations across New Zealand during the series. The activation will give fans opportunities to participate at the selected venues during the tour period.
The simulator’s participation features will operate alongside its cricket functions. Fans can face different types of deliveries, and their shots will be recorded on a digital wagon wheel. Registration and queue management will be built into the experience, and participants can compare their scores through live on-site and online leaderboards.
The Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand, Powered by Ai+ Nova Smartphone, is the wider series during which the activation will operate. The ANZ BatZone will provide the interactive cricket component at the specified community event and match venues.
Tickets for the Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand Powered by Ai+ Nova Smartphone are available at tickets.nzc.nz.
