16 SEPTEMBER 1995, Page 32

Non-nuclear cricket

Sir: I was intrigued to see on the cover of The Spectator (2 September) that the explo- sive batting of Brian Lara is based upon e = mc2 — an equation that tells us of the ener- gy released in a nuclear reaction. But as the West Indies, along with all other cricketing nations, are signatories to the nuclear non- proliferation treaties, I suspect that in reali- ty Lara is merely exploiting conservation of momentum which is based on niltd = m2v2. It makes for much less ferocious batting, but environmentally safer cricket.

Derek Partridge

Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter