Next month's Cricket World Cup will feature an innovative $500,000 camera system designed to assist the third umpire. The England and Wales Cricket Board hope the International Cricket Council (ICC) will donate around $200,000 for the Panasonic Pana-Eye idea, with the electronics giant contributing the rest of the money.

The system has been used in South Africa in recent years and involves the placing of four fixed cameras level with the stumps at either end of the wicket. Line decisions are easier to make. It will be used in conjunction with cameras provided by TV companies.

World Cup event manager Michael Browning said: "The introduction of the system, coupled with an increase in host broadcaster camera numbers, will enable us to deliver `best practice' and to ensure we get the decisions right."

We'll see.