Holy blades, and other adventures of the bat men

From Thomas 'Daddy' White's impenetrable log of the late 18th Century that was almost as wide as it was long, to Andre Russell's shimmering black blade in BBL|06 that was also banned soon after it first appeared, cricket bat innovation has been driven by two overriding (and often inter-related) ambitions. 

To gain an advantage (as opposed to an edge) over rival bowlers, and likewise against competing manufacturers. 

But despite the ongoing evolution of cricket bats from curved paddle-like implements back in 'Daddy' White's vintage, to the fence-clearing weapons wielded by T20 hitters today, the most significant changes have been compacted into the past 50 years. 

White's audacious ploy to use a bat that more than covered the entirety of his wicket in that 1771 match between Chertsey and Hambledon might have brought immediate measures to reduce bat width to 4.25 inches (around 11cm), but little else of substance changed across the next two centuries. 

Image Id: 9169D35D5C004D04968AD0F809EA1A57 Image Caption: Cricket looked a fair bit different in 1743 // Getty

In 1835, bat length was mandated to a maximum of 38 inches (96.5cm) and those dimensions remain enshrined in the Marylebone Cricket Club's laws of the game, but subsequent changes largely reflect advances in technology rather than ideology. 

In the mid-19th Century, bat handle design altered to feature springs made from rubber or whale bone with the handles themselves eventually fashioned from cane that was spliced into the willow blade. 

The introduction of overarm bowling in the latter half of that century demanded bats become lighter in weight – closer to 2lb (1kg) than the hefty lumps that sometimes weighed up to 5lb (2.3kg) - but from there bat design remained fairly uniform for 100 years. 

The most obvious shift was the relationship between star players and brands of bat, with England legend Sir Jack Hobbs among the first to personalise the equipment when he sold bats that proudly bore his name from a shop in London's Fleet Street. 

Image Id: 5FF84580F2664CEDBBD36527821C7D50 Image Caption: Sir Jack Hobbs practicing with his personalised bat, circa 1925 // Getty

Hobbs's Australian contemporary, and fellow opener, Bill Ponsford christened his preferred bat 'Big Bertha' which also provided a fair indication of its heft. 

The run-scoring deeds of both would be soon eclipsed by Sir Donald Bradman who – having been promised by his mother a new bat if he scored a century in the local final between Bowral and Moss Vale in 1926 (the 17-year-old plundered 300) – chose a model sold by Yorkshire manufacturer, William Sykes. 

Three years later, by which time Bradman had graduated to Test cricket, Sykes asked the young Australian for permission to use his name on their 'Autograph' range and the days of the celebrity bat endorsement were born. 

Bradman's first knock with the newly released bat – so fresh from the workshop he had not been able to oil it or 'knock it in' – yielded 340 for New South Wales against Victoria, at which point Sykes asked for it to be returned so they could put it on public display in Sydney. 

Image Id: 8DF75F96BE684D80A7DD2A6DDB68FC97 Image Caption: Sir Don Bradman with his signature Sykes blade // Getty

The Bradman bats were hewn from top-grade close bark willow with a handle of Sarawak cane and a treble-rubber shock-absorbing spring, and remained a staple of club cricket kits for decades after Sir Don's retirement having used the Sykes brand throughout his extraordinary career. 

The defining characteristic of these blades was their light handling and minimalist edges, which reflected Bradman's preference for placement above power. 

However, the introduction of limited-overs cricket in England during the 1960s brought with it a need for bigger and heavier bats that allowed players to club rather than caress. 

Around the same time, the growth of television coverage markedly expanded the audience for eagle-eyed bat makers to target which meant their brand logo had to be discernible from a distance to grab viewers' attention (and their cash). 

The Gray-Nicolls 'long sword', Duncan Fearnley's vanishing-point wicket, and County's encircled 'C' became immediately recognisable to cricket watchers worldwide, as did the ever-growing range of branded protective equipment that began to flood the lucrative market. 

But it was Gray-Nicolls' decision to have then Australia captain Ian Chappell brandish their brave new design during the 1974-75 Ashes series down under that effectively signalled the arms race between bat makers that continues today. 

The idea for the revolutionary 'Scoop' came from South African golf golf-club engineer Arthur Garner and British golf course designer Barrie Wheeler who took their inspiration from the evolution of hollow-backed golf irons that were beginning to replace the small-faced solid versions. 

Its scooped back was calculated to distribute greater weight to the bat's perimeter, thereby enhancing the size of its 'sweet spot'.

By the time it became available to the public the following summer, it was the must-have item for a legion of aspiring young (and not so young) cricketers.

Come the first season of Kerry Packer's breakaway World Series Cricket in 1977-78 – when marketing became enshrined within the game – the Gray-Nicolls factory in Australia were pushing out more than 35,000 'Scoops' a year at the premium price point of $70 (around $400 today).

Image Id: ACD233D59D0942E8BD4193F481CCC4BA Image Caption: Greg and Ian Chappell both walk out to bat with the 'Scoop' in hand during Australia's tour to England in 1975 // Getty

As rival manufacturers scrambled for a slice of that pie, innovative designs and arresting livery became the norm for high-profile international cricketers doing their bit for sponsorship dollars by driving bat sales.

West Indies great Viv Richards did wonders for the hump-backed Stuart Surridge 'Jumbo', Ashes rivals Tony Greig and Rod Marsh championed St Peters' flat-backed offering that featured a shaved spine, and future England star Ian Botham flayed bowling with his Duncan Fearnley 'Magnum'.

Pursuit of the next new thing also brought some unconventional engineering ideas.

The Newbery 'Excalibur' that New Zealand all-rounder Lance Cairns wielded with such devastating brutality in the early 1980s owed more to the club-like implements of the early 18th Century, but perhaps the strangest innovation was Duncan Fearnley's 'Run Reaper'.

Launched in 1977, it was reputedly designed to reduce resistance for a batter – and therefore increase the ease of shot-making – by featuring a number of small holes drilled through the blade.

Despite its adoption by ex-India skipper Sunil Gavaskar – who would later head the ICC's cricket committee investigating the legality of Kookaburra's graphite strip bat – and England's Bob Willis (Test batting average 11.5), it was ultimately banned because it left indentations in the ball.

It was incidental damage trumping innovative genius that also saw the most outrageous attempt to shift conventional bat-making practices – Dennis Lillee's now infamous aluminium bat, unveiled in 1979 – quickly ruled illegal, and laws changed to ensure all blades henceforth "consist solely of wood".

And while a similar argument was mounted to outlaw the graphite-backed bat most famously used by Ricky Ponting, it was the limited performance capabilities of the similarly truncated Mongoose pioneered by Matthew Hayden in the Indian Premier League that saw it quickly disappear from favour.