ComBat
Encyclopedia
The ComBat was an aluminium
cricket bat
and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA
cricket ground in Perth in December 1979.
Australia were playing England in the first Test, and were in trouble at the end of the first day, at a score of 232/8 with Dennis Lillee
not out. When the second day of play began, Lillee emerged onto the field carrying not the traditional willow
bat, but a cricket bat made from aluminium
. The bat, manufactured by the company of Lillee's good friend Graeme Monaghan, was intended only as a cheap replacement for traditional cricket bats for schools and developing countries. Nevertheless, Lillee decided to use it in the Test match as a marketing stunt, and at that point, there were no rules against using such a bat. This was not the first time Lillee had used an aluminium bat, as he had employed one 12 days previously in a Test against the West Indies, without incident.
The trouble began on the fourth ball of the day, when Lillee straight drove a ball from Ian Botham
. The ball went for three runs
, and nothing appeared untoward. However, Australian captain Greg Chappell
thought that the ball should have gone for a four, and instructed twelfth man Rodney Hogg
to deliver a conventional wooden bat to Lillee. As this was happening, English captain Mike Brearley
complained to umpires Max O'Connell
and Don Weser
that the metallic bat was damaging the soft, leather cricket ball.
Although the umpires told Lillee he had to change his bat, Lillee instructed Hogg that he wasn't going to, and assumed a posture to face the next delivery. Brearley, Lillee, and the umpires held an animated discussion for almost ten minutes, before Chappell decided that the game would be held up if things continued. He emerged onto the ground, took one of the willow bats from Hogg, and instructed Lillee to be quiet and use the bat. Lillee threw his aluminium bat away in disgust ("throwing the offending lump of metal fully 40 yards towards the pavilion"), and grudgingly took the wooden bat.
Lillee was not censured or disciplined for this incident. Both the umpires and the Australian Cricket Board decided to let Lillee off with only a warning. Wisden Cricketer's Almanack said that Lillee's "unsavoury" behaviour "partly overshadowed other individual performances more in keeping with the spirit of the game", and commented "The incident served only to blacken Lillee's reputation and damage the image of the game as well as, eventually, the Australian authorities because of their reluctance to take effective disciplinary action". After the game, sales of the bat skyrocketed for a few months, with Monaghan giving Lillee a small cut of the profits. This only lasted a few months though, before the laws of the game were amended, specifying that bats had to be made from wood. The actual bat that Lillee used is still in his possession. After the match ended, he had it signed by both teams. Brearley, realising a sales stunt when he saw one, simply signed the bat "Good luck with the sales".
After this incident the Laws of cricket
have stated that the blade of the bat must be made of wood (law 6).
The match itself was described by Wisden as "enthralling" and ended with only 14.4 overs remaining in the last day's play, with Geoff Boycott
carrying his bat through the innings and ending marooned on 99 not out. Australia won the match by 138 runs.
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
cricket bat
Cricket bat
A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....
and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
cricket ground in Perth in December 1979.
Australia were playing England in the first Test, and were in trouble at the end of the first day, at a score of 232/8 with Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
not out. When the second day of play began, Lillee emerged onto the field carrying not the traditional willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
bat, but a cricket bat made from aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
. The bat, manufactured by the company of Lillee's good friend Graeme Monaghan, was intended only as a cheap replacement for traditional cricket bats for schools and developing countries. Nevertheless, Lillee decided to use it in the Test match as a marketing stunt, and at that point, there were no rules against using such a bat. This was not the first time Lillee had used an aluminium bat, as he had employed one 12 days previously in a Test against the West Indies, without incident.
The trouble began on the fourth ball of the day, when Lillee straight drove a ball from Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
. The ball went for three runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
, and nothing appeared untoward. However, Australian captain Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell
Gregory Stephen Chappell MBE is a former cricketer who captained Australia between 1975 and 1977 and then joined the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation, before returning to the Australian captaincy in 1979, a position he held until his retirement 1983...
thought that the ball should have gone for a four, and instructed twelfth man Rodney Hogg
Rodney Hogg
Rodney Malcolm Hogg is a former Victorian, South Australian and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. Hogg played in 38 Tests and 71 ODIs between 1978 and 1985. In Tests he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47.-Career:...
to deliver a conventional wooden bat to Lillee. As this was happening, English captain Mike Brearley
Mike Brearley
John Michael Brearley OBE is a former cricketer who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2007–08.-Early life:...
complained to umpires Max O'Connell
Max O'Connell
Maxwell George O'Connell was an Australian Test cricket match umpire.He umpired 19 Test matches between 1971 and 1980. His first match, was the Fifth Test in the 1970–71 Ashes series at Melbourne on 21 January to 26 January 1971...
and Don Weser
Don Weser
Donald Gordon Weser, , is a retired Australian Test cricket match umpire, from Western Australia.He umpired 3 Test matches between 1979 and 1980. His first match was between Australia and England at Sydney on 10 February to 14 February 1979, won by England by 9 wickets, thus retaining The Ashes...
that the metallic bat was damaging the soft, leather cricket ball.
Although the umpires told Lillee he had to change his bat, Lillee instructed Hogg that he wasn't going to, and assumed a posture to face the next delivery. Brearley, Lillee, and the umpires held an animated discussion for almost ten minutes, before Chappell decided that the game would be held up if things continued. He emerged onto the ground, took one of the willow bats from Hogg, and instructed Lillee to be quiet and use the bat. Lillee threw his aluminium bat away in disgust ("throwing the offending lump of metal fully 40 yards towards the pavilion"), and grudgingly took the wooden bat.
Lillee was not censured or disciplined for this incident. Both the umpires and the Australian Cricket Board decided to let Lillee off with only a warning. Wisden Cricketer's Almanack said that Lillee's "unsavoury" behaviour "partly overshadowed other individual performances more in keeping with the spirit of the game", and commented "The incident served only to blacken Lillee's reputation and damage the image of the game as well as, eventually, the Australian authorities because of their reluctance to take effective disciplinary action". After the game, sales of the bat skyrocketed for a few months, with Monaghan giving Lillee a small cut of the profits. This only lasted a few months though, before the laws of the game were amended, specifying that bats had to be made from wood. The actual bat that Lillee used is still in his possession. After the match ended, he had it signed by both teams. Brearley, realising a sales stunt when he saw one, simply signed the bat "Good luck with the sales".
After this incident the Laws of cricket
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
have stated that the blade of the bat must be made of wood (law 6).
The match itself was described by Wisden as "enthralling" and ended with only 14.4 overs remaining in the last day's play, with Geoff Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
carrying his bat through the innings and ending marooned on 99 not out. Australia won the match by 138 runs.