Quirky cricket innovation: Mongoose bat – Forgotten so early
The inception and popularisation of T20 cricket has seen several innovations in the last decade or so. We have had innovations in the kind of shots batsmen have played with reverse hits and scoops becoming a regulation as well as in the types of balls bowled by bowlers with knuckleballs and slower bouncers being mastered by most. We have also seen shorter boundaries, use of unconventional matchups, and the list goes on. But one innovation which blew the world away but then faded away quickly was the Mongoose bat.
When Matthew Hayden walked out to bat for Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Daredevils in 2010, he left the world wide-eyed as he came out with an unusual looking bat. It was the Mongoose bat which would help Hayden score 93 in that match of just 43 balls.
What is a Mongoose bat?
The Mongoose bat comes with a long handle and a smaller hitting area, the actual wood. It was tailor-made for T20 cricket as its handle was 43% long-drawn and the razor (the wood) one-third volume of regular bats which facilitated maximum attack with minimum force. The Mongoose Technology decreased the hitting area giving the batsman the perfect sweet spot. It seemed to be the perfect bat for T20. Former Australia cricketer was a big fan of the Mongoose and while talking about the Mongoose bat said, ‘So, all you want to do is to connect, and the ball really flies.’
However, what was Mongoose bat’s biggest strength, was its biggest flaw as well. It was a bat which could primarily be used only for hitting. It was extremely difficult to use the bat to defend as it required a much higher level of control. And it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea to start smashing the ball from the get-go.
Hayden’s teammate back then, Suresh Raina had said ‘It is good for big-hitting but certainly not for keeping. That is the reason I returned back to the regular bat’.
With Hayden’s retirement, the Mongoose also slipped into oblivion. The Mongoose bat didn’t attract too many top tier batsmen after that. It was something revolutionary which wanted to change the way T20 cricket was being played. However, it didn’t take into account ODIs and Tests where this bat was almost useless. We also always forget; cricket is a very complex sport. It has several aspects to it. Even in T20 cricket, batting doesn’t just involve smoking the ball. Running between the wickets and rotation of strike is as important especially on difficult wickets. The Mongoose bat may not have worked in the current times but with the ever-evolving game, we could surely see it making an appearance once again.
