The 4 most unique bats in cricket history 

Cricket has been the most innovative sport in the history. Since its introduction in the 16th century, the world has witnessed major changes in cricket. Each member associated with this sport keeps on using his creative mind regarding his role.

Whether the role is batting, bowling or fielding, innovation has remained constant. Batsmen keep on creating weird shots while the bowlers have developed unique bowling actions and fielding has proved to be the most improvised sector of the game.

The difference between the past and the present cricket bat

Along with these roles, changes have been observed in the equipment too. Earlier, the players used only white and red balls to play cricket. But now, they even use the pink balls. The same can be seen in the bats too. The thickness of the bats have changed drastically.

However, there have been a few instances where a batsman came up to the pitch with a rather unique bat which shocked the entire cricket community. Here are four such unique bats.

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#4 Painted cricket bats

The painted cricket bats started a new trend during the Big Bash League

Cricket fans have always known the West Indian cricketers for their long six hitting abilities. But in the Big Bash League, the West Indians became a center of attraction for their unique cricket bats. These bats are mainly known as the painted cricket bats.

Earlier bats were made from wood and were kept natural-looking. The manufacturers never colored or painted them from outside. The cricketers from the Caribbean modified the old bats and brought a new trend of painted bats. We saw the mighty West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell playing with a black cricket bat during the Big Bash League. Even, the Universe Boss Chris Gayle used a bat with gold color.

#3 Dennis Lillee's Aluminium Bat

The aluminum bat was first used by Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee in 1979

Dennis Lillee joined the elite list of players to have played with unique bats in the history when he used his combat aluminum cricket bat. He first used it on December 15, 1979, during the match between Australia and their old enemy England.

During the first Test of the Ashes Series at Perth, Australia was struggling at 232/8 on the first day with Lillee batting on 11. Next day in the early morning, Lillee came out to bat with a change in the bat’s willow as he carried a bat made from aluminum.

Lillee’s decision was questioned by his skipper himself as Aussie’s captain Greg Chappell had a fight with Lillee regarding this bat. Later on, the opposition team also opposed Lillee’s decision as the aluminum was damaging the grip of the ball. Hence the officials did not permit such kinds of bats on the ground from then on.

#2 Matthew Hayden's Mongoose Bat

The Australian opener used a bat which had a longer handle and short blade

The Mongoose cricket bat was one of the unique bats in the entire history of cricket. Its strange design of a long handle with a short bottom attracted the entire world. Australian opener Matthew Hayden used the bat.

Mongoose bat was the lightest bat ever used in the history weighing just around 1000-1200 grams because of its design. But other than this it had one disadvantage. One major issue with this bat was the super short blade as it made timing the ball a difficult job. Nevertheless, it did not affect Matthew Hayden as the Australian stalwart scored well with the bat in the IPL.

Due to some controversy regarding the length of the bat, it was used for just a short time in cricket but still attracted the entire world.

#1 The Widest Cricket Bat

The widest ever cricket bat was used in the year 1771

The thickness of the bat was the main issue for the batsmen during the initial years of cricket. Batsmen used to face difficulty in playing the ball as the bat didn’t have sufficient thickness. But, the officials made a change in the laws pertaining to the width of the bat following an incident in 1771.

The reason for the change in law was that in the same year, a new bat was invented with so much width, that it could cover all the 3 stumps. Thomas White during a match between Chertsey and Hambledon came out to bat with this widest bat ever. But the opposition protested against the bat which led to a new change in the laws of cricket. According to it, the maximum width of the bat must not be over 4 inches.

Which bat do you think was the most unique one? Share your answers in the comments box below.