Just when you thought it was safe to wield a standard cricket bat, Lord's today saw the launch of a fearsome beast called the Mongoose.

Developed by advertising executive Marcus Codrington Fernandez, this new style of willow has a blade as short as the handle is long. It's thick and blunt with huge edges - and, despite its revolutionary design - meets all the MCC laws and has been passed as legal.

The bat, which appears to have no splice and a huge "middle", will make its first-class debut in the hands of Derbyshire's former Australian international Stuart Law in their Twenty20 clash against Durham at the Riverside on 26 May.

Law said: "The Mongoose has the potential to revolutionise cricket.

"Without changing your technique, the bat allows you to hit the ball harder and further.

"It's power is phenomenal and it's a weapon of mass destruction."

The Mongoose is believed to offer a batsman 20 per cent more power and 15 per cent more bat speed than a conventional blade and is on sale at £159.