We might not be able to see humongous sixes from big hitters MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, David Warner as the new ICC rules prohibit them from using bats thicker than the prescribed measurements. The towering sixes from these big hitters might suffer a lot at the hands of new rules. The sweet spot of the bat which is at the bottom helps them hit the ball way beyond the boundary. The new guidelines from Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) issued earlier in March might bring down the number of sixes in a particular cricket match.
What’s the new rule?
According to the new rules, the measurements of the bat should be— 108mm width, 67 mm in depth and 40 mm edges.
Why will MS Dhoni not be allowed to use his current bat?
Dhoni uses one of the heaviest bats among Indian cricketers. The weight of his bat is between 1,250 gm to 1,300 gm. The wicketkeeper-batsman’s bat has a sweet spot of 12 inches starting from four inches above the bottom of the bat. Dhoni would have to change his bat which has 45 mm edges according to the new guidelines.
Why will Virat Kohli be spared?
The Indian skipper uses a much lighter bat when compared to Dhoni. Kohli’s bat weighs around 1160 gm and eight inches of the sweet spot. The sweet spot starts from 6 inches above the bottom bat and goes down to 14 inches. Kohli would not have to worry about getting new bats made as his bat is already designed to meet the new guidelines.
Not just Kohli, but, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and youngster Rishabh Pant do not need to change their bats for post-September matches.
Indian cricketers who may have to make slight changes
Yuvraj Singh, one of the most ferocious hitters of the ball. Yuvraj followed by Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma would have to make slight changes to match the latest specifications that are allowed by MCC.
Big players who need to make big changes
Chris Gayle and David Warner who used 50 mm edges will have to shed 10 mm in order to make their bat legal. Kieron Pollard had a similar specification as well.
Big overseas players who do not need to make any changes
Mr 360, AB de Villiers, Australian skipper Steven Smith and England’s Joe Root have no changes to make in the specification of their bats.
Big player who had already changed his bat
The man who could just flick the ball over the bowler and still it over the boundary. He used a 50 mm specification at the bottom of the bat as well. But, Pollard made changes long before the rule becomes applicable as he felt it “made no sense’ to delay it until October.
