England Women’s cricket coach, Jon Lewis, disclosed on Friday that he utilizes artificial intelligence to aid in team selection, attributing the technology to his team’s success in leveling last season’s Ashes series.
Lewis first encountered the work of London-based PSi while coaching the UP Warriorz franchise in India’s Women’s Premier League.
Now, the 48-year-old former England paceman employs the company’s services to assist in decisions regarding squad composition, team balance, and in-game player match-ups.
The system generates projected outcomes based on each side’s composition.
“I can submit multiple line-ups to PSi in London, and they run approximately 250,000 simulations per team, exploring various permutations that could occur during the game,” he explained.
While Lewis maintains a preference for a “people-first approach,” he acknowledges the objective insights data can provide, particularly in aiding selection and match-ups.
Having drawn last season’s multi-format Women’s Ashes series against Australia, Lewis credits the AI system with aiding critical selections and strategic decisions.
“We targeted a specific period of the Ashes as a team,” Lewis recalled, highlighting the effectiveness of the AI-assisted selections.
“There were instances where both players I was considering for selection were in excellent form, and the AI provided valuable assistance in those decisions.”
As AI continues to play a significant role in elite sports, Lewis’s approach underscores its potential to enhance decision-making and performance analysis across various disciplines.
