On this day in 1979, Dennis Lillee used an aluminum bat for the first time, and it was a new innovation at that time which gave cricket a twist.
On December 15, 1979, one innocuous forward defense changed the game of cricket altogether. Dennis Lillee emerged onto the field carrying not the traditional willow bat, but a cricket bat made from aluminium during the Ashes Test in Perth. The bat, manufactured by the company of Lillee’s good friend and was intended only as a cheap replacement for traditional cricket bats for schools and developing countries. Although England objected to the use of the bat, the willow did become popular and sales skyrocketed.
Following that innovation, cricket decided to test some changes but at the same time, keep the rules and the spirit of the game alive. In the modern era, the Mongoose bat and the Graphite bat was popular, but it only lasted for a short time. When it came to bowling, the innovation came in the form of a Pink Ball that would allow nations to play Test matches in the Night. When it came to umpires and broadcasting, there were items like Hot Spot which detected faint edges. On December 15 which can be termed as cricket innovation day thanks to Dennis Lillee, here is a look at other devices and items that briefly changed cricket in the modern era.
1. Top cricket innovations:
In the middle of the first decade of the first century of the 21st century, there was a new bat been used by players. Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Justin Langer, Mike Hussey, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara all used a graphite reinforced bat which gave a different edge to batsmen. The bat has a wooden blade bonded to a carbon graphite back. However, The International Cricket Council said the graphite-reinforced bat, used by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, was illegal. The Australian bat manufacturer Kookaburra agreed to the immediate voluntary withdrawal of its graphite reinforced bat from international cricket. The offer was made after the ICC informed Kookaburra that it had received an opinion from the guardian of the Laws of Cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), that the bat contravened Law 6 and, in the MCC’s view, was illegal. There was a similar furore when coloured Spartan bats were used by West Indies players in the Big Bash League where there were green, pink and gold colours. (Image credit: Twitter).
2. Top cricket innovations:
Hot Spot is an infrared imaging system used in cricket to determine whether the ball has struck the batsman, bat or pad. Hot Spot requires two infra-red cameras on opposite sides of the ground above the field of play that are continuously recording an image. Any suspected nick or bat/pad event can be verified by examining the infrared image, which usually shows a bright spot where contact friction from the ball has elevated the local temperature. Where referrals to an off-field third umpire are permitted, the technology is used to enhance the on-field umpire’s decision-making accuracy. Where referrals are not permitted, the technology is used primarily as an analysis aid for televised coverage. Hot Spot uses two infra-red cameras positioned at either end of the ground. These cameras sense and measure heat from friction generated by a collision, such as ball on pad, ball on bat, ball on ground or ball on glove. Using a subtraction technique, a series of black-and-white negative frames is generated into a computer, precisely localizing the ball’s point of contact. This innovation has helped umpiring errors come down to a large extent. (Image credit: Twitter).
3. Top cricket innovations:
During the game between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, Matthew Hayden came out with a unique bat. Labelled the Mongoose Bat, it had three times more wood at the bottom than the conventional bat; allowing the batsman to hit the Yorkers and also the low tosses with full force and power. The bat had a 33 percent shorter blade and 43 percent longer handle than that of the conventional bat. Suresh Raina reviewed the bat and felt the bat is not fit in case of defensive strokes. The enhanced sweet spot turned out to be a disadvantage to the batsmen as they were unable to execute defensive strokes, resulting in slip or front catches. Other batsmen also confirmed that bat does not give any backpack in case there is an uneven bounce. According to them, you can either hit the ball or incur the risk of getting injured because this bat was not of defending nature. (Image credit: Twitter)
4. Top innovations of cricket:
On November 25, 2014, the cricketing world was plunged into shock when a bouncer hit Phillip Hughes on the back of the neck which resulted in his death. This brought about the issue of bouncers as well as it highlighted the need for batsmen safety. After the Phill Hughes tragedy, the BCCI had asked its players to speak to their respective helmet suppliers to design a more protective head gear. While it is still not mandatory, but the ICC’s cricket committee has extensively deliberated on the issue and came out with concussion substitute — a change in rule that has been welcomed by all. It remains to be seen how effective this neck guard is but it is credited to having saved lot of lives. (Image credit: Twitter).
5. Top cricket innovations:
Pink balls were developed in the 2000s to enable Tests and first-class matches played at night. The red ball is unsuited to night tests due to poor visibility, and the white ball is unsuited to first-class cricket because it deteriorates rapidly and cannot be used for eighty overs as specified in the rules, so the pink ball was designed to provide a satisfactory compromise on both issues. It is still considered more difficult to see than a white ball; and the leather is more heavily dyed than a red ball, which better preserves its color and visibility as it wears but also gives it slightly different wear characteristics. It has performed well enough in testing and first-class cricket to be approved for use in international cricket. A pink ball was used for the first time in an international match in July 2009 when the England Women’s team defeated Australia in a one-day match at Wormsley and a pink ball was used in a day-night Test match for the first time in November 2015. Other colors were also experimented with, such as yellow and orange (glowing composite), for improved night visibility, but pink proved to be the preferred option. (Image credit: Twitter).