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London: Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has rejected the idea of introducing bamboo bats with a “larger sweet spot” than the traditional English willow bats. A traditional English willow cricket bat takes roughly 15 years to come in its actual form. There also is a shortage of premium quality English willow (wood). A study by Cambridge University study suggests that bats made out of bamboo can be the solution to this problem.
MCC has stated that bats should be made out of wood under the current laws. But Dr. Darshil Shah, who also co-authored the Cambridge study said that bamboo is a cheap, plentiful, fast-growing, and sustainable material. Shoots can grow from previous stumps, and maturity is reached after seven years as opposed to the 15 years taken by wood to mature into a cricket willow.
The MCC rejected the proposal stating that: “any potential amendments to the Law would need to carefully take this into consideration, particularly the concept of the bat producing greater power.” However, the statement also said that alternatives can be considered, given there is more research. It said, “Sustainability is a relevant topic for MCC and indeed cricket, and this angle of willow alternatives should also be considered. With the researchers stating that the most suitable types of bamboo grow abundantly across China and that low-cost production could make bamboo bats a viable and ethical alternative to willow, this could provide a pertinent angle for further research and the possibility of reducing the cost of producing bats in different areas of the world.”
The research by Dr. Shah comprised of ‘microscopic analysis, video-capture technology, computer modeling, compression, and vibration testing’ – and obviously some good smashing of the cricket ball. He has also played cricket for Malaysia’s U-19 cricket team.
One side says that the bamboo bats would ‘democratize’ the sport making the bats cheaply available so that the sport also flourishes in countries like China, but the other side says that a bigger sweet spot would mean more batting mayhem in an already polarised game (in batsmen’s favor). What do you think of the new ‘bamboo bats’? Do let us know in the comments.
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