Australian university researches new bat

In 1979 Dennis Lillee strode to the wicket with an aluminium bat, but found his path blocked by the England captain. Then the administrators stopped his experiment almost before the first cover-drive could reach the boundary. But now, an Australia university is trying to revolutionise the batsman's main weapon - this time staying within the laws of the game.

RMIT University's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering has been working on improving the bat through the vibration caused when the ball is hit. The research has concentrated on increasing the all-important sweet spot, the area where the batsmen experiences least impact when the ball is struck.

The project leader Dr Sabu John says his aim is to make it easier for the batsmen to strike the ball cleanly. "I hope to achieve an expanded sweet spot that has implications for reduced vibration, which in turn provides the batsman with greater control," he told The Australian newspaper. "It should mean fewer injuries to batsmen and, perhaps they will be able to hit balls further."

Since Lillee's foray into bat design the laws of cricket have been amended, now the blade has to be made of wood, but there are not stipulations about the handle and this is the area researches are aiming to exploit, developing a new handle made from cane and rubber. There are other ideas that seem to come more from science fiction, with tests being carried out using embedded hardware and software.

The ICC still has to give clearance for the new bat, but Dr John hopes to have a working prototype within a month, and be in a position to market it after further testing. The bad news for anyone hoping to snap up a new bat, and rack up the big runs, is that it could cost up to 50% more than standard bats.