AR brings Waugh's iconic ton to life

Cricket fans will have the chance to re-live one of Test cricket's most iconic innings through the magic of augmented reality thanks to a new partnership between the SCG Sports Trust, Steve Waugh and digital studio Avanade.

Celebrating 15 years since Waugh's famous last-ball century at the SCG, the Steve Waugh AR experience allows fans to immerse themselves in an animated simulation of the innings, which features match footage and special commentary from Waugh himself.

The app utilises the camera in a smartphone to place Waugh within the user’s environment, as well as the ability to take a selfie with the former Australian captain.

“Recreating the significant moments from the perfect day 15 years ago was much harder than I imagined,” said Waugh on the experience of being filmed for animation.

“To mirror the exact trigger movements that accompany each shot was difficult to achieve as they were instinctive and not manufactured.

“I was unaware that I was actually doing some of these little adjustments until I studied the footage of the innings and then to try and replicate them was a real challenge,” he added.

The experience also gives fans an insight opportunity to learn more about Waugh's Baggy Green, his bat, and his famous red handkerchief.

“It was fun reliving the excitement of the day and I hope many people can now share with me the joy of scoring a century for Australia.”

Cricket fans have already had a taste of the exciting offering that virtual and augmented reality provides for fan engagement thanks to initiatives by the Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers in last year's Big Bash League.

However the Steve Waugh AR experience, which is part of the SCG Trust's digital transformation, is the first of its kind to be launched by a stadium or sporting body.

“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,” said SCG General Manager of Marketing and Membership, Jane Coles.

“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.”

Avanade Managing Director Sarah Adam-Gedge said the Steve Waugh AR experience was the perfect opportunity to showcase the possibilities of augmented reality.

“Over the last year we’ve seen organisations across different industries experimenting with augmented reality to create new experiences for customers – and in this instance sporting fans,” she said.

“Increasingly these rich digital experiences are becoming the norm and we expect to see more organisations introducing augmented reality to create engaging experiences for customers.

“Avanade is delighted to partner with the SCG Trust and Steve Waugh on this first of a kind augmented reality experience for a sporting venue in Australia.”

A HoloLens experience will be available for fans to enjoy during the fifth Magellan Ashes Test in Sydney, and will soon become an additional product to the SCG Tour program.

For those who can’t get to the SCG, the Steve Waugh SCG AR app experience can be viewed on a smartphone and is now available for in the app store.

Fans are also being encouraged to take advantage of the app's ability to let users take a selfie with Waugh, and upload it to social media along with the hashtag #SteveWaughAR.