adidas Pellara Elite

Kevin Pietersen's bat is everything you'd expect it to be - flamboyant, stylish and of the very highest quality.

Kevin Pietersen's choice of bat is everything you'd expect it to be - flamboyant, stylish and of the very highest quality. Adidas' Pellara range certainly stands out before you've even hit a ball thanks to the contrasting mix of bright yellow and black used for the stickers and handle. But if the Pellara looks a little bit special then just wait until you pick it up. What still appears to be a sizeable piece of top-quality willow from a distance feels like no more than a stump when you have it in your hands. The reason? Adidas have decided to remove what they feel is redundant wood from the outside sections of the bat to give it a groove-like back bone. Not only does the stylish design make for a lightweight pick-up but also an extended middle. To be quite honest, it was difficult to know where it started and ended, the 'sweet spot'simply seemed to extend from top to toe. Where the Pellara really excelled was when it came to playing off the front foot. There was no need to use unnecessary force when driving the ball; just simple forward pushes seemed to come off the blade superbly. The lightness also allowed easy adjustments in shot selection, something cricketers of all standards need to do from time to time, and meant that when there was a desire to be a little more aggressive, it was possible to create the extra bat speed needed to propel the ball safely over the top. Admittedly the Pietersen factor did start to take affect the longer it was in use. Suddenly there was an overwhelming urge to whip full balls pitching on off stump through mid-wicket in a rather extravagant fashion. At least there wasn't a pie-chucking left-arm spinner in sight to ruin my fun. Now while no bat is going to suddenly turn you into KP, it will take a tremendous amount of natural talent, an unquenchable desire to achieve your goals and an undying love for hard work to be like him, the Pellara is a beautiful piece of wood suitable for batsmen of all levels. You may find the rather garish colours lead to a few comments when you step out to the middle. Once you've timed a few to the boundary rope, though, the only words you're likely to here are: "so how much does that bat cost?"