Cricket bat
This variety of willow is used as it is very tough and shock-resistant, not being significantly dented nor splintering on the impact of a cricket ball at high speed, while also being light in weight.
[1] The blade is connected to a long cylindrical cane handle, similar to that of a mid-20th-century tennis racquet, using a splice.
The taper provides a more gradual transfer of load from the bat's blade to the handle and avoids this problem.
Applied regularly, this has a protective effect on the wood and makes it less sensitive to humidity changes in the atmosphere, which could cause warping or splitting.
Various companies have over the years tried new shapes that come within the laws of the game to make a name for themselves and to improve sales.
This allowed more of the weight to be redistributed to the "sweet spot" of the blade providing more power to each stroke, whilst still having good balance and light "pick up".
After some discussion with the umpires, and after complaints by the English team that it was damaging the ball, which was later proved untrue,[citation needed] he was urged by the Australian captain Greg Chappell to revert to a wooden bat as Chappell believed it was not delivering the same amount of power to the ball as a regulation wooden bat.
[9] The rules of cricket were shortly thereafter amended, stating that the blade of a bat must be made entirely of wood.
Designed by John Surridge, the bat was formed from two pieces of willow which reduced the flex and increased the transfer of power.
It was used by Newbery and Puma for three years before the concept was copied by Gray Nicolls with a hollow plastic tube.
However, this provoked the MCC to change the law on materials in handles amid fears that the new technology would lead to an increase in the distance the ball was hit.
The edge offsetting allowed for an extended middle, better swing weight and increased performance without compromising the cricket bat's balance.
[15] In 2004, Newbery created the Uzi, with a truncated blade and elongated handle for the new Twenty20 format of the game.
This change allowed more wood to be placed in the middle, as more attacking shots are played in the shorter version of the game.
[17] Launched with a fanfare of publicity, it proclaimed the idea of not defending the ball in the T20 format and purely playing attacking shots.
On 11 March 2010, Mongoose launched its range in India with the announcement of Matthew Hayden as the brand ambassador.
Gareth Andrew, the Worcestershire all-rounder, scored his maiden 100 with an MMi3 in professional cricket when he hit 100 off 58 balls at the Oval in 2010 against Surrey.
Modern bats are usually hand-made in the Indian sub-continent (India or Pakistan) due to the low cost of labour.
[citation needed] Traditional Indian cricket bats are made in the regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Some bats made in Kashmir are of international standards and are/were used by national players in India Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.
[citation needed] The willow used in making bats in Kashmir was brought in by the British, who ruled India, during the 1820s.
English willow bats with minor visual defects such as grains that are not perfectly straight, or discolourations, are also cheaper.
Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has stated[citation needed] that such bats will play just as well as better-looking ones and that players ought to buy the cheaper ones to get the same performance at a better price.
Due to the shortage of stock and demand for English willow, many small plantations on private property have been established in ideal conditions, with trees maturing as young as 10 to 12 years.
The statement further read that the issue of bamboo bats and other alternatives to willow would be discussed in the next Laws sub-committee meeting.
As of November 2020[update], Guinness World Records state that the largest bat is 15.627 metres (51.27 ft) long and was made by Classic Mall Development Company in Chennai, India.
