Dr Darshil Shah and his colleague Ben Tinkler-Davies found bamboo bats, on a like-for-like basis are three times as strong as willow. Bamboo cricket bats would help diminish cricket's class divide by dramatically reducing the cost of equipment, as willow bats can cost hundreds of pounds because the wood is in short supply and takes 15 years to mature. Working with local a cricket bat manufacturer Garrard & Flack, the researchers made a full-size bamboo bat prototype. Never before has the sport been better positioned to accept what would be a radical change if cricket was to embrace bamboo bats. 'Tradition is really important but think about how much cricket bats, pads, gloves and helmets have already evolved,' Dr Shah said.

Source: Daily Mail May 09, 2021 23:02 UTC