The Twenty20 version of cricket is set to be given a further boost with a new bat design, which will enable players to hit the ball with both sides of the blade, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Gray-Nicolls has confirmed the development of a prototype with a smaller, pressed hitting area on the reverse side as well, the paper said.
The back of the bat could be used to defuse full-length yorkers. With the back of the bat in play, batsmen figure they can reach forward and ‘lap’ it up over their shoulder to the undefended boundary behind first slip. Bat maker Stuart Kranzbuhler said the new bat would meet current ICC specifications and reduce the ‘middle’ by about 10mm.