A bit old article but brilliant read, enjoyed reading it;
TWENTY-20 cricket's helter skelter pace is sparking an innovation explosion of new playing equipment, designed to extract maximum performance in the heat of battle.
Twenty-20 cricket is a modified, condensed form of the game that's taken the cricketing world by storm in recent times.
It has attracted new audiences and rejuvenated old interest in cricket due to its rapid pace and added potential for constant stimulation, compared to the game's traditional, longer versions: 50-over one-day cricket and five-day Test cricket.
The innovation explosion is set to not only modernise the type of gear used at cricket's elite level, it also is expected to filter through to club level, including country cricket competitions and other minor leagues.
The most recent innovation is the brainchild of English entrepreneur and marketing guru Marcus Codrington-Fernandez.
Codringto n-Fernandez designed the Mongoose bat while recovering from a stroke and is now marketing his unique blade world-wide.
The thicker, meatier bat has concentrated its design to stimulate pure power hitting.
The Mongoose already has been used to good effect by one of the game's legends, Matthew Hayden, during an explosive innings in this year's Indian Premier League competition.
Much to the chagrin of the Delhi Daredevils' bowlers, Hayden unveiled the power-bat's potential on the international stage by striking a match-winning 93 off 43 balls in game 11.
The statuesque left-hander played himself in with a traditional shaped blade then called for the Mongoose when his score was on 19.
The subsequent carnage ensured the cricketing world stood up and took serious notice of Codrington-Fernandez's invention.
Hayden's innings produced nine fours and seven sixes and left little doubt the bat was more than just a gimmick.
At the end of his innings, Hayden praised the Mongoose bat describing it as a "good product" that provided him with "good power to hit the ball a long way".
He said it was very much like a normal bat but offered a great deal more power.
In terms of its unique design, the Mongoose stands out due to its longer handle and shorter blade.
The blade is about 33 per cent shorter than the traditional bat design while the handle is 43pc longer.
In theory that shape helps the bat achieve 15pc more bat speed and 20pc more power, without any change in the player's conventional technique.
All of the "dead-wood" from the top and bottom of the thicker blade has been deliberately eliminated to make the entire hitting surface a "pure sweet spot".
Hayden has described the Mongoose as a "half-brick on a stick".
Codrington-Fernandez said his new bat is designed to encourage greater power from good technique.
He wants the bat to help younger players hit the ball harder without slogging.
Codrington-Fernandez has total confidence in the Mongoose bat but cricket has seen other great inventions wind up on the scrap heap over the years.
One of the most infamous was the aluminium bat used by Dennis Lillee during a Test match between Australia and England at the WACA Ground in 1979.
Lillee's use of the aluminium blade caused an extended break in play as he was forced to revert to a conventional blade due to pressure from the umpires and even his own captain.
It also caused international outrage due to fears the bat was damaging the ball and giving batsmen an unfair advantage over the bowlers.
Despite the controversy, Lillee's endorsement of the aluminium bat generated a temporary explosion in sales.
Eventually, the game's playing conditions were changed to outlaw its existence and ensure all bats were made of wood.
According to other media reports, the advent of the Twenty-20 game also has seen an explosion in the number of bat design applications currently being assessed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Some designs are quite radical including a bat with holes drilled in it, to reduce weight.
The Mongoose may be radical in terms of its lust for power hitting but it breaks no rules, having gained formal acceptance from the game's law makers.
The MCC signed off on the Mongoose bat's cutting edge design making it 100pc legal for use at all playing levels, not just elite Twenty-20 cricket.
Some of the world's top players also are catching onto the Mongoose revolution.
Hayden currently heads the cast but several other leading players also have been contracted to the new label, including former Australian and Queensland star, Stuart Law and recently appointed assistant coach of Sri-Lanka and former New Zealand opening batsman Lou Vincent.
Former Australian super-star Andrew Symonds also has taken on a Mongoose contract along with West Indian internationals Dwayne Smith, Tino Best and Daren Powell and other international players from England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The Mongoose team also has plans in the pipeline to modify and revolutionise other playing equipment.
The company's new-fangled designs will target batting pads, batting gloves and wicket-keeping gloves with the goal to enhance player's speed and add greater flexibility over traditional gear.
Mongoose production manager Thomas Evans, said Mongoose already was looking at re-designing playing equipment to suit the game's faster format.
"We are looking at re-designing the whole cricket equipment package to suit Twenty-20 cricket," he said.
"We are looking at re-designing the bats, gloves, pads, wicket keeping pads and anything else that fits into this category.
"We want players to be able to wear pads that help them run through the wicket like Usain Bolt.
"We also are creating wicket-keeping gloves that will allow keepers to throw the ball better and release it faster."
Despite a recent wave of publicity due to Hayden's blockbuster innings, little is known about the Mongoose bat in Australia.
Many players witnessed Hayden's innings on TV but have not seen or handled the bat up close.
Evans said his company was currently targeting markets in India and the UK and had plans to enter South Africa and Australia in future.
He said Mongoose was happy with how its product was being received in the UK but conceded the company currently did not have the capacity to take large orders due to production limitations.
"India obviously is the main market we are looking to get into because there's millions and millions of cricketers over there," he said.
"We are primarily marketing the Mongoose in England at the moment and we are very happy with how well the bats have been received.
"In England we have signed 30 players on various county rosters and the radical MMi3 bat has been used a number of times this season in four day cricket and 40-over cricket.
"Australia and South Africa are other markets that we are looking to get into in the future."
The Mongoose is made from traditional English willow supplied by the world's biggest wood supplier, JS Wright & Sons and has world-wide registrations and trademark patents.
Copies of it are expected to spring up around the globe in time, most probably starting in India, but the company has checks and balances in place to protect its product integrity.
Currently, the Mongoose can only be purchased in Australia via the company's web site.
Prices start from $175 for junior versions of the bat and reach up to $580 for the Mongoose Super Premium bat.
Adding to its credibility surge, last month the Mongoose MMi3 won the best bat award at the Wisden Cricketer 2010 awards in innovations category.
It also won a prestigious sports industry award for Best Technological Innovation in Sport, following in the footsteps of the Speedo swimsuit and Hawk-Eye.
p More information:
http://www.mongoosecricket.co
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Topic: Mongoose bat a true master blaster (Read 2028 times)