The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has installed a state-of-the-art TruMan 3 AI-powered bowling machine at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, making it the first cricket board in the world to adopt the technology for player development.
The machine displays a high-contrast LED animation of a bowler on a front screen, synchronised exactly with the release of the ball. The animations are based on legitimate bowling actions, allowing batters to read the release point, timing and action just as they would in a real match.
Coaches can fully customise the machine before a training session, adjusting pace, line, length, swing, bounce and even the height of delivery. Individual balls, overs and entire spells can be saved and replayed to recreate match situations or shuffled to create random scenarios, giving players the option to prepare against the style and action of specific bowlers.
Director High Performance Aaqib Javed called it a major upgrade over conventional bowling machines.
“TruMan 3 is the most advanced bowling machine available today, and the Pakistan Cricket Board is the first cricket board to use it,” Javed said. “With traditional bowling machines, it is difficult for batters to pick the bowler’s release point. This machine displays a high-contrast LED animation of the bowler on a front screen, allowing batters to read the action, release point and timing just as they would in a real match,” he added.
He emphasised that the customisation options give players a training experience that closely mirrors match conditions.
“Coaches can customise pace, line, length, swing, bounce and even the height of the delivery. Individual balls, overs and entire spells can be saved and replayed to recreate match situations. It also allows players to prepare against the style and action of specific bowlers,” Javed said.
Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who trained with the machine at the NCA, said that it forces batters to sharpen their timing in a way older machines could not.
“This machine helps prepare us for the challenges of modern-day cricket. Because the ball is released in sync with the bowler’s action shown on the screen, you have to maintain the same timing that you would in an actual match,” Agha said.
He said that the adjustment period was worth it once players got used to the system.
“It feels challenging at first, but once you get used to it, it makes a real difference to your batting. I believe this technology will play an important role in improving batters, and players will benefit from it even more in the future,” Agha said.
