Steve Waugh of Australia (shown running) bats on his way to scoring a century during the Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 3, 2003. (Photo by Nick Wilson/Getty Images)
Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh had tied a world record for having played in the most international test matches — but faced increasing criticism for his waning play with rising calls for him to step aside — as he competed in the annual Ashes matches with England on Jan. 3, 2003.
Waugh responded with the signature moment of his career by scoring a century with 102 runs, the final four coming on the last ball of the day, which he skipped over the boundary line. That, incidentally, tied another record, matching Aussie legend Don Bradman’s 29 test centuries. The Aussie newspapers that had called for his retirement now called him a sporting deity, and others have hailed the event as one of the greatest moments in national sporting history.
That experience is now available for all fans to relive in unprecedented proximity thanks to an augmented reality production made by the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, Waugh and Avanade, a digital and cloud provider. Though designed for the HoloLens, the AR experience can also be accessed on smartphones.
The Steve Waugh SCG AR app includes reproductions of his shots as well as footage from the event and commentary.
“Recreating the significant moments from the perfect day 15 years ago was much harder than I imagined,” Waugh said in a press release. “To mirror the exact trigger movements that accompany each shot was difficult to achieve as they were instinctive and not manufactured.”
Sarah Adam-Gedge, managing director of Avanade Australia, added: “The new app combines high-resolution animations using motion capture of Steve Waugh and actual innings footage as part of an immersive experience that lets fans relive his famous last ball century. Increasingly these rich digital experiences are becoming the norm and we expect to see more organizations introducing augmented reality to create engaging experiences for customers.”
“The Steve Waugh AR is an exciting addition to the SCG Trust’s commitment to fan engagement, which in recent years has provided a fully-connected solution for its venues including high definition superscreens, free wi-fi, IPTV and our app,” Jane Coles, general manager of membership and marketing for the SCG Trust, said in the release. “The SCG Trust is proud to be leading the way in Australian sports venue technology and using these new initiatives to celebrate our proud heritage such as Steve Waugh’s famous innings.”
