On to part three of the T20 bat reviews, and tonight I took my SpiriT20 down to nets for a bit of road testing and finding out. Having spent a couple of hours knocking it in, as advised by Kieron, the one thing I noticed during this process was that the middle seemed to be really quite long and wide. I was looking forward to getting to use it against the real balls, rather than the mallet.
For a brief moment, I'll move to the specs. It weighs in at just over 2lb 12oz and has about 1.5 inches less blade length than a standard bat, with a longer handle to make it up to full SH size. The blade in this case is normal width.
Taking up position with my normal stance, I stood there with the bat raised ready to play ball. After the first couple, I realised that this was not a good night to be testing as my timing tonight was utterly dreadful, and on a net that was slow and low, I was playing just about everything way too early. A couple of little late cuts flew off the bat, and the odd pull that I did manage to achieve seemed to fly. It picked up as though it wasn't 2.12, but more like 2.10, which was quite pleasant.
Once I battened down the hatches and started to play straight bat, more sensibly, I was able to determine the power of the bat much more effectively. With people bowling a reasonable length and me watching the ball properly, I was hitting some lovely straight drives that were really travelling. When it came to the 15 off the last 6 moment, I knew it could be quite interesting. With 11 required off two, I was able to loft the last two balls very nicely and they were judged to have gone for 6, and came away with the prize (not that there is one, but you know what I mean).
On examining the bat post session, I noted that I had visibly failed to produce a single decent cherry in what would normally be considered to be the middle of the bat. Now, I'm certain that i was hitting it, but there seems to be neither red, nor seam, nor depression, which can only mean one thing. I was hitting huge shots not out of the middle. I mentioned earlier that when I was knocking it in, it seemed to have a huge middle, and I think it does. Massive.
As a bat, I wouldn't consider it to be a gimmicky T20 bat. It doesn't feel like it in your hands, and no-one notices that it doesn't quite have the same dimensions as a normal bat. I would happily use this in a 40 over game and as the overs passed by, I felt that it was a weapon that could cause significant destruction in the right hands (not mine obviously, as I'm a bit of a lower order heaver). This is one of the bats that I will be putting into my kit bag as a match bat. It's incredibly forgiving when your timing is out, and you really don't notice the slightly shorter blade. All in all, I think Bulldog have pulled a blinder here!
In answering the question I posed myself in the subject, I don't think it is limited to the short form cricket in any way. You could happily use this in any form, and I think most batsmen would fine it very rewarding.... SpiriT20. The Spirit of Cricket is more appropriate!
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Topic: SpiriT20 - The spirit of short form cricket? (Read 3021 times)