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Watch a Test match closely and you’ll spot a small bulge between the fast bowler’s shoulder blades. That’s a GPS and motion sensor in a vest under the shirt, counting every delivery, measuring run-up speed and logging every sprint to the boundary. Cricket Australia’s support staff use that data to decide who bowls and who rests. You don’t need a national team’s budget to use the same ideas. This guide sorts out the cricket wearables worth knowing in 2026: GPS trackers, a radar for bowling speed, bat sensors, heart-rate straps, watches and the recovery trackers players wear to bed, and which cricket fitness tracker fits your level.
Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.
Our top picks
Catapult One
- Cricket listed as a supported sport
- 10 Hz GPS pod + vest
- About $180 a year, kit included
Pocket Radar Smart Coach
- ±1 mph accuracy (maker)
- Speed in video, CSV export
- About $400
Polar H10
- Chest strap, Bluetooth + ANT+
- Up to 400 h battery
- About $105
Garmin Forerunner 570
- Training Readiness, HRV Status
- Up to 11 days as a smartwatch
- About $550
WHOOP 5.0 (Peak membership)
- About $239 a year, sensor included
- No screen, 14+ day battery
- Recovery, Strain and Sleep scores
Oura Ring 5
- From about $399 + $5.99/month
- 6 to 9 day battery
- Readiness and Sleep scores
Cricket wearables compared
| Device | Type | What it tells a cricketer | Subscription | About (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catapult One | GPS vest pod | Distance, sprints, top speed, load | Yearly | $180/year with kit |
| Pocket Radar Smart Coach | Radar gun | Bowling and throwing speed | None needed | $400 |
| Polar H10 | Chest strap | Heart rate in training | None | $105 |
| Garmin Forerunner 570 | GPS watch | Running, gym and recovery data | Optional | $550 |
| WHOOP 5.0 | Recovery band | Sleep, HRV, strain | Required | $239/year |
| Oura Ring 5 | Smart ring | Sleep and readiness | $5.99/month | From $399 |
What the pros track, and why it matters for you
For fast bowlers, the number that matters most is simple: how many balls, how often. Elite research links sudden spikes in weekly deliveries, and long gaps between bowling days, with more injuries (see our cricket training page). Catapult says Cricket Australia uses its wearables during Tests to detect deliveries automatically and track run-up speed and running loads. A study of 35 national and international fast bowlers found that a machine-learning method using a Catapult sensor detected deliveries with high accuracy against more than 20,000 hand-recorded events. Researchers have even shown that an Apple Watch on the bowling wrist, with custom software, could count deliveries and estimate ball speed, but that was a research setup, not an app you can download. For now, an amateur’s best bowling tracker is a notebook plus one of the tools below.
Can you wear them in a match? Elite teams wear vest pods under the shirt in international cricket. For club and school cricket, check with your league or the umpires before match day, especially for anything on the wrist or fingers; vest pods and chest straps sit under the shirt and are easier to clear.
The best cricket wearables
1. Catapult One: best GPS tracker for cricket
Catapult builds the systems used by elite cricket teams, and Catapult One is its version for individual players. Cricket is on its list of supported sports. The kit has a pod that logs 10 GPS points a second, a four-way-stretch vest, a charge clip and a case, sold in the US as a membership of about $179.99 a year with the kit included. It tracks total and sprint distance, top speed, load, intensity and heat maps. Vests come in Youth (25–28 in chest) through XL (43–46 in). We couldn’t confirm that the consumer app counts bowling deliveries the way Catapult’s team system does, so log those yourself.
- Good: pro-style running data for fielders and batters; youth sizing.
- Watch out: yearly fee; delivery counting not confirmed in the consumer version.
- Best for: serious club, college and academy players who want to know their match and training loads.
2. Pocket Radar Smart Coach: best for bowling speed
It isn’t worn, but for a fast bowler it answers the question everyone asks. The Smart Coach is listed on Amazon for baseball, softball and cricket. Pocket Radar says it’s accurate to ±1 mph, connects by Bluetooth to its app, puts the speed into your phone video and exports sessions to CSV. It costs about $399.99. Use it to see whether strength work and technique changes are adding pace, and to keep an honest record of how many full-effort balls you bowled.
- Good: instant, objective feedback; speed plus video of the action.
- Watch out: doesn’t count balls by itself; chasing speed every ball adds workload.
- Best for: fast bowlers and their coaches, from teenagers up.
Check the Pocket Radar Smart Coach price on Amazon
3. Polar H10: best heart-rate strap
A chest strap is more accurate than a wrist sensor at high intensity, and it sits under your shirt. Researchers have used chest-worn monitors on English professional seam bowlers during matches and found heart rate while bowling higher in one-day games than in multi-day games. The Polar H10 is about $104.95, lasts up to about 400 hours on its battery and connects by Bluetooth and ANT+ to most watches and apps. More in our heart rate monitor guide.
Check the Polar H10 price on Amazon
4. Garmin Forerunner 570: best watch for training
For off-season runs, gym days and sprint sessions, a GPS watch does more than a vest. The Forerunner 570 has an AMOLED screen, up to 11 days of battery as a smartwatch (47 mm) and Garmin’s Training Readiness, HRV Status and Body Battery, all without the optional subscription. About $549.99. Pair it with the H10 for better heart-rate data.
Check the Garmin Forerunner 570 price on Amazon
5. WHOOP 5.0 and Oura Ring 5: best for sleep and recovery
Sleep is where cricketers lose out: one study of elite South African players found about 6.5 hours after matches compared with 8.7 before. Recovery trackers make that visible. WHOOP is a screenless band sold as a membership (about $239 a year for the Peak tier, sensor included) with 14+ days of battery and Recovery, Strain and Sleep scores. The Oura Ring 5 starts at about $399 plus $5.99 a month, lasts 6 to 9 days and is the easiest to sleep in. Neither is a medical device. Compare them in WHOOP vs Oura vs Garmin and read HRV for athletes.
Check the Oura Ring 5 price on Amazon
Bat sensors and ball-tracking apps
Bat sensors clip onto the handle and measure the swing. The best known in cricket, StanceBeam Striker, records 11 metrics including bat speed, backlift angle and downswing angle, weighs about 10 grams without its grip and runs up to 6 hours on a charge, but it’s sold in India and we couldn’t confirm US availability. Ball-tracking apps are the other route: Fulltrack AI uses an iPhone or iPad on a tripod to track ball speed, swing, spin and pitch maps, with license tiers for players, coaches and matches. Both are training tools for skills rather than health, but tracking how many balls you face or bowl in a session is useful workload data too.
How to choose a cricket fitness tracker
- Fast bowlers: count balls first. Any device is less useful than a reliable daily count of deliveries. Add a radar or GPS when you want more.
- Fielders and batters: a GPS vest shows sprint load, which matters for hamstrings in short formats.
- Everyone: watch sleep. A ring or band is the easiest way to see whether late finishes and travel are cutting your sleep.
- Add up the real cost over three seasons: one payment (Pocket Radar, Polar, Garmin) or yearly fees (Catapult One, WHOOP, Oura).
- Use data gently with kids. Young players need counted overs and rest days, not daily scores. Pain that keeps coming back means seeing a sports medicine doctor; see our cricket injuries guide.
Back to the cricket hub, or see cricket recovery and cricket gear. For team-sport GPS in general, read our best GPS tracker for team sports, or compare with soccer wearables.
Cricket wearable questions
What do fast bowlers wear on their backs?
Usually a GPS and motion sensor in a snug vest under the shirt. Catapult says Cricket Australia uses its wearables in Tests to detect deliveries automatically and measure run-up speed and running loads, helping staff manage bowling workloads.
Is there a bowling tracker for club cricketers?
Not one we could confirm that counts deliveries automatically for consumers. Research shows wrist and back sensors can do it with custom software. For now, keep a daily ball count and add a radar gun such as the Pocket Radar Smart Coach for speed, or a ball-tracking app for line and length.
Does Catapult One work for cricket?
Catapult lists cricket among Catapult One’s supported sports. It tracks distance, sprints, top speed and load. We couldn’t confirm automatic delivery counting in the consumer app.
What is a cricket bat sensor?
A small sensor that clips onto the bat handle and measures your swing, such as bat speed and backlift angle. StanceBeam Striker is the best-known example; at the time of writing it’s sold in India.
Can I wear a smartwatch while playing cricket?
It depends on your league and umpires, so ask before match day. Many players wear watches and recovery trackers for training and sleep, and keep wrists and fingers clear during matches.