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The Cricket Bat
The Cricket bat, by and large, has remained unchanged throughout the history of the game. The rules of the game outline the dimensions of the bat but there is no restriction on the weight. Earlier, there were no rules about the material the bat should be made from but in the match between Australia and England at Perth on 14 December 1979, Dennis Lillie walked in to play with a bat made of aluminium. After playing four balls the umpire ruled that the bat was causing damage to the ball and should be replaced. This event prompted the rules of the game to be changed to include "The blade of the bat shall be made solely of wood".
Dimensions of the bat
According to the cricket rules, the bat should not be more than 38 inches in length. The blade of the bat should be made solely of wood and should not exceed 4 1/4 inches at the widest part. cricket rules).
How is a bat made?
The main material used to make a bat is wood. English willow (Salix Alba Caerulea) is the preferred wood used by quality bat makers because of its strength, weight and consistency. The wood is first shaped into a bat without the handle. This bat is then put through a roller to compress the wood. After pressing, a 'V' shaped cut is made for the handle to fit in. The handle is made of cane and attached to the body of the bat with an adhesive. Finally, the bat is cleaned and finished with sand paper and the handle is covered with twine.
Bat Auctions
The two bats that West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers used to set records are in the record books for fetching the highest price for a piece of cricket memorabilia. The bat with which he scored 365 not out (the previous highest score in test cricket) against Pakistan in Jamaica in 1958 was sold for $69,930(Rs.3,406,291) at an auction in Melbourne. Another bat that he used to hit a record six consecutive sixes in a single over in an English county match in 1968 - was sold for $146,875(Rs. 7,154,282) at the same auction.
The Stumps
The stumps in cricket are 28 inches in height above the playing surface. Each stump has to be cylindrical in shape and the diameter has to be between 1 3/8 to 1 ½ inch. Each set shall be 9 inch wide and shall consist of three wooden stumps with two wooden bails on top.Though the dimensions of the stumps have not changed, many gadgets have been attached to the stumps to help in Television coverage.
Stump Camera is a very interesting invention. A camera is placed in one of the stumps enabling the viewer to experience what a batsman is viewing.
Stump microphone
The main reason for placing a Stump microphone on top of one of the stumps was to enable the sound of the bat hitting the ball to be heard so that the viewer can know how hard a ball is hit.
Stump microphones pick up more that the sound of the ball hitting the bat. In a match between Zimbabwe and Australia, Shane Warne shouted obscenities at Stuart Carlisle that was picked up by a stump microphone and aired live on television.
Most batsmen 'clean bowled' in a one-day match are 8 in a West Indies and New Zealand game in 1984-1985.
Most batsmen 'clean bowled' in a test match are 23 between South Africa and England (1st Test) in 1895-1896.
Most batsmen 'stumped' in a one-day match are 3 (there are 8 such instances).
Most batsmen 'stumped' in a test match are 5 between India and West Indies (4th Test) in 1987-1988. |
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