Bowlers brace yourselves. Here comes the superbat!
You often hear commentators lamenting how modern cricket is stacked heavily in the batsman's favour (usually from disgruntled ex-bowlers). That trend seems likely to continue as a new electro-mechanical cricket bat has just been invented by Professor Sabu John of RMIT:
Its innovative handle is equipped with electro-mechanical sensors and a vibration-absorbing synthetic material which converts shockwaves into heat and dampens vibration. Consisting of a carbon fibre shell with a polymer insert, it employs technology called active vibration control which is already used in baseball bats and tennis racquets. That increases the size of the bat's "sweet spot" - the zone in which the batsman experiences the least discomfort when smashing the ball towards the boundary.I'm thinking John Travolta: "it's systematic... electromagnetic... why, it's synthetic lightning!" In case the technobabble hasn't wowed you, there's also a snazzy illustration to further impress (and yes, this pic is legit unlike other recent spoof ads).
"The big push for this is players who want a bit of technology in the bat and it would make them feel slightly better when the ball hits the bat away from the sweet spot," said Prof Sabu John, an RMIT expert in "intelligent" materials and the leader of the project. Prof John, a former research fellow at Imperial College, in London, told The Australian newspaper that the bat was being developed in conjunction with the manufacturer Kookaburra Sport and could be on sale within 18 months.
I hate to break it to the Professor but he's wasting his time. One of cricket's sacred cows is the bat must be pure wood. Ricky Ponting was recently busted just for having a sticker on the back of his blade. I certainly don't recall anything in the MCC laws (or is that ICC laws?) permitting "electro-mechanical sensors" or "vibration-absorbing synthetic materials". Professor John thinks there may be a loophole as the restriction only applies to the blade, not the handle. I can see the powers that be quickly tweaking the rules as soon as one of these super bats makes its way into an international game.
Now if only they could make a bat out of squash balls.
| Posted by JC on Sat 12 May |  16 comments |
JC, you should know by now that new technologies are only banned if an Aussie tries them first.
:)
Posted by Timbo on 2007-05-12 13:23:25
:)
Posted by Timbo on 2007-05-12 13:23:25
Don't forget team, there are no 'rules' of cricket - it's the only sport which has 'LAWS'. On the other hand, it's also the only sport you can play for 5 days and still end up in a draw! But we won't go into that...
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-05-12 20:21:42
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-05-12 20:21:42
Law 6 (The bat)
1. Width and length
The bat overall shall not be more than 38 inches/96.5cm in length. The blade of the bat shall be made solely of wood and shall not exceed 4 1/4 in/10.8cm at the widest part.
2. Covering the blade
The blade may be covered with material for protection, strengthening or repair. Such material shall not exceed 1/16 in/1.56mm in thickness, and shall not be likely to cause unacceptable damage to the ball.
Posted by stumps on 2007-05-12 21:37:14
1. Width and length
The bat overall shall not be more than 38 inches/96.5cm in length. The blade of the bat shall be made solely of wood and shall not exceed 4 1/4 in/10.8cm at the widest part.
2. Covering the blade
The blade may be covered with material for protection, strengthening or repair. Such material shall not exceed 1/16 in/1.56mm in thickness, and shall not be likely to cause unacceptable damage to the ball.
Posted by stumps on 2007-05-12 21:37:14
Yeah thats really cool. I'm looking forward to the India v. Bangladesh revenge tour. I heard that the India v. Bangladesh Tour is available as LIVE Video and Video On Demand on broadband at MediaZone Cricket: http://cricket.mediazone.com
MediaZone Cricket is a new broadband service with LIVE cricket, chat and
news. Check it out!
Posted by Frankie G Louis on 2007-05-13 03:33:43
MediaZone Cricket is a new broadband service with LIVE cricket, chat and
news. Check it out!
Posted by Frankie G Louis on 2007-05-13 03:33:43
*cough* spam *cough*
Hope they are giving you commission JC.
Posted by Andrew on 2007-05-13 11:14:11
Hope they are giving you commission JC.
Posted by Andrew on 2007-05-13 11:14:11
Yeah talk about spam. I did check out the website though just because I had nothing else to do. It is a pretty cool site and the rates aren't that bad either.
Posted by Sam on 2007-05-20 10:12:27
Posted by Sam on 2007-05-20 10:12:27
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