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Bharat Kumar

CHENNAI, Aug. 15

CRICINFO.COM, a cricket-centric Web site, has entered into an agreement with The Woodworm Cricket Company of the UK to distribute its Wand brand of bats in India.

The patented bat is shaped different as compared to other bats x having lesser surface area nearer the handle than along the rest of the bat.

Cricinfo is entering into a distribution tie-up for the first time. Dr Badri Seshadri, Managing Director, Cricinfo India, said, "It is important for us to get into distributing partnerships, for our sports goods interests. E-commerce does not go a long way currently in goods distribution. Not all of those who log onto our Web site are players themselves. So to get to the folk in the field, we need to get into real-world distribution."

He added that players in the Indian cricket team had examined the bat and seemed interested. Russell Arnold, the Sri Lankan player was the first to use this bat, Dr Seshadri said, in the Indian tour of that country some time ago.

Explaining the significance of the bat, he said, "When you wish to hit out, the meat of the bat, towards the bottom, comes in handy. But, when you want to defend on the back foot, when the ball is bouncing high, you'd rather use the area nearer the handle. And, it is good to have as less an area there as is possible. Which means that there is a greater chance that the ball hits in the middle rather than at the edges."

He admits that for that claim to be validated, cricketers would have to be convinced that getting an edge won't be easy on the bat.

The bat, to be branded The Wand, is to come in three models, premier, performer and magic - prices ranging from Rs 5,900 to Rs 1900 - the last brand being for the low-end market.

Dr Seshadri estimates the annual Indian market for bats to be one million. "Of this, most are low-end bats. The high end, with prices ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 8000, could number about one lakh in the market."

The company has recently launched CricketPlus, a service that charges users $ 12 a year for quick loading of Web pages. The service will provide exclusive servers that will allow priority access for users, doing away with delays for page loading, caused by crowding of servers, according to Dr Seshadri.

The site has also started a Club service, branded Kirkets, for which the KingFisher beer brand is a sponsor. With an annual membership fee of Rs 150, the service offers discounts on the beer brand at select outlets, gets discounted tickets for matches, arranges for celebrity-member interaction and the like, Dr Seshadri said.

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