Opinion An overdue scrutiny of bats
A couple of years ago,Matthew Hayden strode out to bat during the IPL,brandishing a bizarre-looking object.
A couple of years ago,Matthew Hayden strode out to bat during the IPL,brandishing a bizarre-looking object. This was the Mongoose MMi3,a bat that cleverly made use of a previously unexploited loophole in the Laws of the game. Appendix E specifies how long and wide a bat can be,but doesn’t limit the thickness of its blade. And while it says that the handle cannot exceed 52 per cent of the bat’s total length,it doesn’t limit the individual lengths of handle or blade.
Pushing this to its limit,Hayden’s MMi3 featured an ultra-long handle and an ultra-short blade of such exaggerated thickness that the company claimed they had made the entire surface of the hitting area a sweet spot.
The experiment was short-lived,but it was only the logical limit of an obesity epidemic that has grown unchecked for the last decade and a half. Till Wednesday,that is,when the MCC released a list of suggestions following a meeting of their World Cricket Committee. Among other things,cricket’s lawmakers have decided to investigate the thickness of bats.
Edges in the 90s,80s and even 70s were around 20-25mm thick. Now,it’s gone up to 35-45mm, says Paras Anand,marketing director of SG,one of the world’s leading batmakers.
Bats nowadays are as thick as they are because they undergo far less ‘pressing’ during the manufacturing process. This results in a springy willow that doesn’t last as long but sends the ball greater distances.
Cricketers now receive an endless supply of bats from their sponsors. Shelf-life,for them,is no longer a concern. This,along with the growing emphasis on quick scoring in all formats of the game,has led to a proliferation of thicker,springier bats.
There are many possible reasons why mishits nowadays routinely fly over the ropes and checked drives fetch batsmen four runs when they would have once earned only two. Boundaries have grown shorter,and outfields may have become quicker too. On pitches that are generally flatter,batsmen are less afraid to hit on the up. But meatier bats have definitely contributed,and the MCC’s decision to research their impact is a welcome move.
Karthik is a senior correspondent based in New Delhi
karthik.krishnaswamy@expressindia.com
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