Ultra Edge and Snickometer in Cricket Explained
Ultra Edge and the Snickometer are audio-visual DRS technologies used to detect faint edges from the bat — crucial for caught-behind and LBW decisions.
Ultra Edge and the Snickometer are two related technologies used in cricket's Decision Review System (DRS) to determine whether the ball has nicked the edge of the bat. Both use microphones embedded in or near the stumps to capture audio vibrations — and display them as waveforms on a screen alongside the video of the delivery. If the audio spike aligns with the moment the ball passes the bat, an edge is confirmed.
How Ultra Edge Works
Ultra Edge captures audio from stump microphones in real time and presents it as a waveform graph below the broadcast footage. When the ball passes the bat and the umpire checks for an edge, broadcasters slow down the footage and display the audio trace simultaneously. A clear spike in the audio waveform at the moment of contact confirms bat-on-ball contact. It replaced the original Snickometer as a faster, more broadcast-integrated system.
Snickometer
The Snickometer was the first version of edge-detection technology, developed by British scientist Allan Plaskett in the 1990s and popularised by Channel 4's coverage of England Tests. It used similar microphone-to-waveform technology but was slower to process and less integrated with live broadcast graphics. Today, Ultra Edge has largely replaced it in international cricket's DRS process.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ultra Edge in cricket?
Ultra Edge is a DRS technology that uses stump microphones to detect faint edges from the bat. It displays an audio waveform alongside the video to confirm bat-on-ball contact.
What is the difference between Ultra Edge and Snickometer?
Both detect bat edges using stump microphones. Ultra Edge is the faster, more modern broadcast-integrated version. The Snickometer was the earlier system, used primarily for TV analysis rather than live DRS reviews.