England's secret weapon – the ultimate bowling machine

A revolutionary bowling machine which can replicate the delivery of any bowler in the world has helped the England captain, Andrew Strauss, tune up for the first Test against Pakistan. ProBatter, originally developed to hone baseball skills in the United States, uses Hawk-Eye technology and produces an image of the bowler approaching the crease via a computerised video screen before the ball is unleashed. "This will take practice up to another level," the England and Wales Cricket Board's batting coach, Dene Hills, told the Daily Mail. "This machine has been in use in baseball for 10 years. Before the Ashes, the guys will be in here facing Mitchell Johnson, which can only help them when they encounter the real thing." Strauss tried out ProBatter, an import from the US, for the first time this week at the National Performance Centre in Loughborough ahead of the Trent Bridge Test, which starts today.