The Mongoose has made an awe-inspiring IPL debut thanks to Matthew Hayden, and there may be more volunteers lining up to tame this animal, reports Times of India.
Perhaps Hayden's brute power doesn't require an enhanced bat, and maybe he just made this new innovation look good. For the bat's manufacturers, though, it has come as the perfect advertisement.
The brainchild of Marcus Codrington Fernandez, the Mongoose is not easy to get used to. Chennai Super Kings skipper Suresh Raina, who tried out the bat in the middle in Friday, said: "Hayden has been training with it for long and he felt this was the right time to use it. He used it in the nets for two hours on Thursday. I tried to use it but then felt I should return to my normal bat."
Delhi Daredevils skipper Dinesh Karthik, though, admitted they had been done in by the Mongoose. The bat, with a 5 cm thick base, boasts a handle 43% longer and a blade 33% shorter. With no splice, the sweet spot is enhanced a whopping 120%, making it ideal for T20 power-hitting.
The first batsman to use it, Australia's Stuart Law, feels it has the potential to "revolutionise cricket", while Hayden has dismissed speculation that the bat is unwieldy against quality pace, saying "it will not be a handicap in playing short-pitched balls or bouncers. It has tremendous bat speed".
The Mongoose's philosophy is simple: batsmen hardly use the top part of their bats, so it makes sense to take that wasted wood and use it further down the blade. The longer handle offers more 'whip', and though it weighs the same as a normal bat, the Mongoose feels lighter because the unique handle offers 'leverage.'
If Hayden continues to demolish opposition bowlers in the IPL, very soon there will be many more takers.
