Mo Bobat, Performance Director at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), will deliver the guest talk at the 2021 Pro Forum.
After welcoming leading practitioners from Formula 1 (Steven Houston) the NBA (Dean Oliver and Luke Bornn), NFL (Dennis Lock) and MLB (Mike Fitzgerald) to talk at previous Forums, this year Bobat will draw on his experiences of working in various roles at the ECB to share insights into how the application of data analytics in cricket is evolving and driving innovation across performance, pathways, talent identification and talent development.
After starting his career in Education, Bobat joined the ECB in 2011 in the role of Operations Manager for the England Development Programme, working with Under 17 and Under 19 national teams. In 2016 he was promoted to Player Identification Lead for the England men’s team, which saw him oversee the creation of an extensive scouting infrastructure to identify, monitor and assess players at every level of the national system, before being appointed to his current role in November 2019.
As Performance Director, Bobat, who possesses a Masters in Sports Directorship from Manchester Metropolitan University, is responsible for the England men’s international pathway. This includes identifying high potential players from domestic cricket and providing them with add-value developmental experiences and expertise, delivered through individualised programmes and best versus best competition.
Bobat also provides support to England Head Coach Chris Silverwood and National Selector Ed Smith on performance plans and selection strategy, ensuring that a wide pool of players are ready and capable of meeting England’s needs, across formats.
After confirming his guest talk at the Forum, which is taking place online on Wednesday 24th March, Bobat said:
“The Pro Forum provides a platform for sharing insight and innovative approaches to applying analytics in elite sport. I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to speak to my peers working at some of the world’s leading clubs and organisations.
“Whilst our respective sports possess their own unique demands, we share many similar challenges in relation to sustaining elite performance. With the rapid growth of available data across every area of our sporting operations, the aim should be to realise our potential performance advantage.
“By providing some insights into our work, I hope I can offer a thought-provoking perspective which can benefit all individuals and teams.”
Alongside the guest talk, this year’s Pro Forum will also feature presentations of five innovative projects, chosen by a panel of industry judges, which outline new, applicable approaches to addressing key challenges relating to performance analysis and player recruitment. Click here for further details.
