The bat that could change cricket

Mongoose

'TWICE THE SWEET SPOT': Australia's Stuart Law, the first batsman to use the new Mongoose blade in competition, says it allows players to hit harder and further.

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Looking more equipped for rowing a boat than hitting the ball 20 rows back, the latest evolution in cricket bat design has sparked fears younger players will be turned off bowling.

But unbelievably, the Mongoose bat, with a handle as long as the blade, is not even the craziest design the Marylebone Cricket Club - the game's lawmakers - have been presented this past year as Twenty20 spawns a new wave of invention.

The MCC has already rejected dozens of submissions, including one bat with holes drilled into the blade for aerodynamic purposes, described by observers as a "Swiss cheese bat".

But they passed this one, used for the first time by former Australian batsman Stuart Law during a county Twenty20 match on Tuesday night.

The Mongoose is tailor-made for the short format. Subtlety is not its strong suit. With a five centimetre thick base that boasts a sweet spot twice the size of that on a traditional bat, even the pace bowler's saving grace - a yorker - can be dispatched to the ropes.

It is yet another invention favouring batsmen, say critics, who warn that junior bowlers confronted with such monstrous clubs will lose the will to pursue the round-arm art. Law, who played one Test and 54 one-day matches for Australia, described it as "a half-brick on a stick".

"The Mongoose has the potential to revolutionise cricket," said Law, who is contracted by the bat's manufacturers to spruik its powers. "Without changing your technique, the bat allows you to hit the ball harder and further. Its power is phenomenal. It's a weapon of mass destruction."

A company spokesman said there was "every chance" the bat, with a starting price of £159 ($323), could make an appearance at the Twenty20 World Cup as negotiations were under way with other international players.

The ICC has no problems with that prospect because it complies with MCC law, although, looking at its design, some wonder how that could be.

The MCC found that it met all requirements under law six of regulations regarding the make-up of a bat, and they are not concerned about the possible ramifications for bowlers.

"When Twenty20 came in, people said it would be the death of the spin bowler, and, over time, it has proved that spin bowlers are the most successful," MCC spokesman Neil Priscott said.

"I don't think we need to be worried about fast-tracking laws to help bowlers. We'll see how it [influences games] and then obviously consider if laws need to be tailored."

Interestingly, Law used the Mongoose only when he was already well set on 32 runs playing for Derbyshire against Durham. With two overs remaining, he changed bats and scooped a massive six over midwicket, but scored only 10 runs overall with the new blade before he was run out. Derbyshire won.

The MCC has expressed concern about changing bats midway through an innings but, as Law said, the Mongoose - with its lack of shoulders - is hardly the type of equipment a batsman requires to get his eye in, or defend swinging full deliveries.

But Priscott added: "It's a skill to be able to change bats mid-innings. It is not easily achieved."

And at the MCC offices, the absurd contraptions of bat designers from around the world - no doubt with dollar signs in their eyes - continue to gather.