Cricket would remain incomplete forever without a bat. The bat and the ball are undoubtedly the core of the game. The history of cricket bats has been long yet interesting. The uniqueness brought within the bats by the players cannot remain unnoticed. Cricket bats were later provided with manufacturing rules and conditions.
Early Origin Of Cricket Bats
The history of cricket bats takes us back to the 1620s. It reports an incident where a fielder was killed when a batsman tried using the bat to prevent him from catching. Initially, cricket was played with underarm bowling actions. The bats appeared similar to hockey sticks as they were suitable for underarm bowling. Bats were carved out of willow trees, most likely found in England and Kashmir. Bats consist of a flat blade connected to a small cylindrical handle. The handle shortened with time whereas the blade size increased but was altered as well.
Evolution Of Cricket Bats
Initially, there were no laws applicable to the bats or balls used. With allowance to length bowling, the bats became parallel. In 1771, an Englishman played with a bat surprisingly as wide as the stumps. This led to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) restricting the bat width to 4.25 inches. By the 1820s, the introduction of round-arm bowling led to the manufacturing of lighter bats.
Introduction Of Willow Wood
With hundreds of existing willow wood trees, it is important to find the most suitable one for cricket bats. The Salix Alba is proven to be the most effective willow for manufacturing bats. Willow wood is the best to resist the high-level impact of high speed bowling. Bats are largely produced from English Willow and Kashmir Willow.
The usage of English Willow bats began in the mid-19th century. With no more time taken, the ruling British quickly brought the manufacturing techniques to India. In the later years, willow wood started being recognized as the best and most suitable bat making material.
Development of Bat Manufacturing Techniques
The importance of bats has remained the same ever since introduced. Different laws led to changes in the manufacturing process, length and width. The materials used for manufacturing are popularly English Willow, Kashmir Willow and White Willow. The manufacturing process begins with cutting the willow. The willow is turned into clefts and the clefts are later graded in accordance to characteristics and requirements. The clefts are also dipped and air-dried in wax for a year before receiving the perfect shape. The bats are later compressed in order to give shape and strength to the bat. A cylindrical handle is then attached to the sliced portion of the blade. One must ensure that the handle has been strongly joint. The bat is then given a perfect shape with the use of a knife.
Innovation in Bat Designs
Bats are said to have been in a similar shape for 2 centuries. The hockey stick-like bat got wider within years. The width of the bat is often manipulated to create new and innovative designs. It has stirred controversies in many instances. From a bat as wide as the stumps to the iconic “mongoose” bat, the world has seen it all.
Let’s have a look at some of the most unique bats ever seen:
- Dennis Lillee’s Aluminium Bat: in 1979, Australian bowler Dennis Lillee shockingly used an Aluminium bat. The bat wasn’t useful for scoring runs and provided constant damage to the ball in play. Captain Greg Chappell was totally against the act and soon entered the field to hand over a regular bat to him.
- Mongoose Bat: The “mongoose” bat remains popular and a fan favorite. It was used by Matthew Hayden in the IPL 2010. The bat had a long handle with a short blade. Active cricketers seemed to be favoring the use of the revolutionary “mongoose bat”. After providing such good hitting in the shortest format, the bat was surrounded by questions raised by fanatics and experts.
Influence of Technology and Materials
Technology has been able to flip scenarios well in cricket. Intel, the innovation partner of ICC and sports start-up Specular, developed a sensor termed as BatSense. It provides data on the bat’s speed angle from the point where the bat has been lifted, the moment of impact, and the follow-through, directly to the computer. The BatSense chip weighs less than 25 grams. It is reported to have 90% accuracy.
Evolution of Bat Dimensions and Regulations
The cricket bats which appeared like sticks, got an increase in the width and soon got the existing appearance. The handle was shortened and it started getting attached separately.
The experimentally successful bats provided an unfair advantage to the batsmen. Bats with a wider blade or a large sweet spot helped batsmen connect the shots easily. With various instances of wider bats being used, the MCC brought in some restrictions.
The Law 5 of the Laws of Cricket states that
Influence of Player Preferences and Playing Styles
The modern generation of players are known for customizing their bats frequently. The manufacturing takes place with respect to the size and rules mentioned by the laws. Players prefer variations in bats with respect to formats. Batsmen prefer a bigger and better sweet spot for power-hitting in shorter formats.
Thicker edges are preferred for the longer format.
The Rise of Specialist Bat Manufacturers
Some of the popular names in the bat making industry are Sareen Sports (SS), Gunn & Moore (GM), Spartan Sports, Delux Sports Company (DSC), Kookaburra, Gray Nicolls, BAS Vampire, CA Plus, Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) and New Balance (NB).
The manufacturers are provided with complete exposure and promotion as the cricket stars use these bats at the highest levels in the game. Initially bats were totally plain with minimal designs and stickers. Eventually, sponsorships and contracts made their way into the game and the bats now include a sticker of brands or manufacturers.
Over the years, fans have witnessed some popular partnerships between players and their bats. Some of the iconic duos are:
- Sachin Tendulkar and MRF Bat
- MS Dhoni and Reebok Bat
- Rohit Sharma and CEAT Bat
- KL Rahul and SG Bat
- Yuvraj Singh and Puma
- Suryakumar Yadav and SS
- Hardik Pandya and SG
Future Trends and Innovations
The structure and purpose of cricket bats has been the same throughout. Technological trends have brought changes in the manufacturing process. Major innovations in cricket bats received a short period of success and fame. Hayden’s mongoose bat was successful but wasn’t under the laws.
With disappointing innovations, cricket bats might undergo changes which would show “small change, big impact”. The cricket bats would most likely turn into light weighted ones in order to be suitable for the increasing white ball cricket.
