Cricket is a game which is usually dominated by the batters. When some of the batters since the bowler has an advantage they try to gain an advantage by using different types of bats. In the following article, we will discuss the unusual bats that have been previously used.
Here is a list of some unusual bats used:
The Mongoose bat by Hayden
If you have followed the Indian Premier League (IPL) in its beginning years then you probably have heard about the Mongoose. This strange first caught the attention of everyone in 2010 when Matthew Hayden walked out for Chennai Super Kings with this strange bat called Mongoose.
The Mongoose bat had a very long handle and a very short willow. The willow was so short that the whole face of the bat was considered to be a sweet spot. Hayden with the Mongoose once smashed 93 off 43 balls against Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals).
Players including Suresh Raina also started using the Mongoose. The use of the bat by players was discontinued when they found out that even though the bat is good for hitting sixes but due to its short will it is not well equipped to defend the ball.
Golden bat by Gayle
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle in 2015 once used a golden bat while opening the innings. Spartan was the official sponsor of Gayle’s bat in 2015 and gave him a golden bat to use in the opening game of the 2016-16 KFC Big Bash League. In the game, Gayle was dismissed for only 23 runs he made good use of the bat as he two sixes.
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There were rumours that the bat was enabling the Universe Boss to hit the ball with more. The rumours said that the golden bat had metal in it making it more powerful and unfair. Spartan later dismissed all the rumours stating that there is no metal in the bat and it was all power from Gayle hitting those sixes.
Carbon bat by Ponting
Ricky Ponting in 2006 used a special bat which had a strip of carbon graphite attached to the back of the bat. The MCC took the matter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) stating that the thin strip adds extra power to the bat giving an unfair advantage to batsmen. Ponting even used the same bat against Pakistan in 2004-05 in a test match in Sydney and scored a double century.
Black bat by Russell
Andre Russell while playing for Sydney Thunders in 2016 in Big Bash League as usual caught a lot of attention. This time around it wasn’t the sixes that got him this attention it was his ‘black bat’ that caught all the eyeballs.
People from Australia were shocked as they had not anything like this. Cricket Australia said that there was nothing wrong with the usage of a black coloured bat as it did not assist the batter in any way. It was later found out that bat was changing the colour of the ball and hence Russell was asked to not use the bat.
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Aluminium bat by Lillee
The aluminium bat has to be the most unusual bat in this list as bats are usually made from wood. Interestingly the aluminium bat was not used by any batsman but it was used by the former legendary Australian speedster Dennis Lillee. It was December 1979 when Lillee walked out on the second day of the test match between England and Australia with an aluminium bat in their hand.
After playing a few shots the England team got agitated as they alleged that the bat was destroying the ball. Australian captain Greg Chappell even sent the 12th man with a normal wooden bat but Lillee refused. After a while, Chappell himself had to come to the ground and give Lillee a normal wooden bat.
Also Read: How much umpires are paid in Pakistan Super League (PSL)?
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