da aviator aposta： What is so special about the Woodworm Wand, or for that matter anycricket bat
da bet esporte： 08-Aug-2002 What is so special about the Woodworm Wand, or for that matter anycricket bat? Well, a cricket bat to a batsman is like a guitar to aGuitarist. It is almost like buying a nice pair of leather shoes, whichtend to walk with you after a few days of using them. A cricket bat isjust not another piece of willow; to many a batsman the bat becomes apart of his life.The cricket bat has retained its shape and size over the years, thanksto the rules which govern the game. Apart from the difference in the weightof the bat and the length of the handle, there has been no remarkabledifference between any two bats. There have been some efforts in therecent past to make some cosmetic changes, which hardly made anydifference to the bat or the batsmen.So what makes the recently launched Woodworm Wand something veryrevolutionary? This bat is definitely not anything like what LanceCairns (father of Chris Cairns) used; the big burly New Zealand all-rounderwielded a strange club-like bat called the , and with theretirement of Lance Cairns the Excalibur story ended too. The WoodwormWand is undoubtedly the most talked about cricket bat since Dennis Lillee’saluminium bat in the 1979/80 Perth Test. Whilst the cricketingauthorities were quick to banish Lillee’s illegal blade, the WoodwormWand was approved by all cricketing authorities in February 2002.The origin of the first Woodworm Wand is almost like an English folkstory. Back in August 2001, Joe Sillett found a 10-year-old bat at theback of his garage. Joe and his father Bob Sillett began re-shaping anold cricket bat riddled with woodworm. The result was the first everWand. Convinced that the bat offered something unique, Joe used it ina club game and scored 142 not out.The unique feature of the Woodworm Wand is the shape of the cricket batwith the “cutaways”. Wood is removed from the most vulnerable zone andis re-distributed into an enhanced central hitting zone giving added powerand a lighter pick-up. It also features an excellent new “Oz” grip fromAustralia, which provides for increased control of the bat. The feel iscompletely different, and the driving simply a pleasure. The Woodworm Wand is making a mark at the highest level now. Sri Lankanmiddle-order batsman Russel Arnold was one of the first internationalbatsmen to use this wonderful piece of willow. Soon, other players likeAbdur Razzaq of Pakistan and Avishka Gunawardene of Sri Lanka too havejoined the club of players’ wielding the magic wand.The Woodworm Wand will now be available in India starting at the end ofAugust. CricInfo India has signed up an exclusive distribution agreementwith The Woodworm Cricket Company UK to distribute this product in India.The initial reaction from the various stakeholders in the game has beenfantastic. From little kids in the coaching camps in Chennai to thebat manufacturers in Meerut, from doubting cricket coaches tohard-nosed sports shop managers, everyone accepts that there issomething more to the Woodworm Wand than a common cricket bat.The proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is the players at everylevel – from street cricketers to International cricketers – whowill now have to decide whether the Woodworm Wand will measure up to theirexpectations.
