Colin Spiro
Bats remained unchanged, by and large, until the proliferation of fast bowling in the 1970s prompted a number of significant developments to counter the pace. Various gimmicks were introduced – such as the Gray Nicholls 'scoop', Newbury's shoulderless 'excalibur' and Dennis Lillee's controversial aluminium blade - but mostly bats became thicker and heavier as they edged to and beyond the 3lb barrier.
Dimensions
There is actually no restriction on the weight of a bat, the only guidelines refer to size. The game's laws state no bat may be longer than 38ins (96.5cm) in length (including the handle) and no greater than 4.25ins (10.8cm) in width. It must also be made of wood, ruling Lillee's aluminium bat illegal.
The Laws of Cricket state the bat blade 'may be covered with material for protection, strengthening or repair'. Such material must not exceed 1.56mm in thickness and must not 'be likely to cause unacceptable damage to the ball'.
The 'sweet spot'
The 'middle' of the bat – or 'sweet spot' – is its thickest point, usually about 6ins from the bottom.
 On the left is an example of the variety of bats (back and front) available for everyone from club cricketers through to international players
Today's bats are mostly made of willow and weigh around 3lbs. Some players (such as Graeme Hick and Sachin Tendulkar) prefer heavy bats while others (such as Brian Lara) choose a lighter variety.
 All are available with a variety of bat handles and coverings (see left) and bat manufacturing companies vie for the world's premier players to endorse them.
The size of the bat and handle varies according to age, through from long handle to harrow to a sliding scale from six to one.
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