Augmented reality cricket experience coming to venues across New Zealand

Cricket fans across New Zealand will get the chance to test their skills through an augmented-reality cricket simulator during the upcoming Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is partnering with global sports technology company BatFast to bring its interactive cricket experience to venues nationwide.

Supported by NZC's major sponsor ANZ, the ANZ BatZone will let fans pick up a bat, face different types of deliveries, and experience the thrill of striking a real ball through BatFast’s augmented-reality simulator.

The free-to-play activation will launch at a community event in Christchurch on October 21 before appearing at matches in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga between October 22 and December 1.

Participants will be able to face a variety of deliveries, with each shot tracked on a digital wagon wheel. Registration and queue management systems will help keep the activation running smoothly, while live on-site and online leaderboards will allow fans to compare their scores.

NZC Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer Glenn Critchley said the experience would add another dimension to match days and community engagement.

"New Zealand Cricket is delighted to be teaming up with BatFast and ANZ to bring the experience to our country for the first time this summer,” he said.

"We're always looking for ways to connect Kiwis with the game, build on our match day experience, and our engagement with the community, and we can think of no one better than BatFast to bring a genuinely world-class experience to cricket fans across Aotearoa."

BatFast Senior Commercial Manager Jack Roddick said the partnership would allow fans to actively participate rather than simply watch the matches.

"Sport is at its most powerful when people have the opportunity to participate, not simply watch,” he said.

"This partnership with New Zealand Cricket gives us an incredible platform to turn the excitement around one of the biggest series of the summer into active participation.

"We're particularly excited to be taking interactive cricket experiences across New Zealand and giving fans the chance to get involved throughout the series.”

Tickets for the Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand, powered by Ai+ Nova Smartphone, are available through the official ticketing platform.