David Warner, Steve Smith set to trade their bat after ICC's latest regulations

With ICC’s latest amendments to the playing conditions set to take place, the likes of David Warner and Steve Smith will have to shave off a good part of the blade to be within the rules. Edges cannot be thicker than 40mm or deeper than 67mm from blade to face. Respective match officials will be armed with gauges that all bats must fit through.

Although the regulations wont effect the ongoing limited overs series between India and Australia, it has been learnt that Warner is likely to try out his new toy before the start of the all important Ashes series against England, commencing later this year. The initiative regarding the change in willow was led by none other than former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. The intention was to strike a balance between the bat and bowl and therefore bring down the added advantage to the batsmen.

Change in the law

“Most of the changes to the ICC playing conditions are being made as a result of changes to the Laws of Cricket that have been announced by the MCC,” ICC general manager of cricket Geoff Allardice said. “We have just completed a workshop with the umpires to ensure they understand all of the changes and we are now ready to introduce the new playing conditions to international matches.”

Former New Zealand international Brendon McCullum how ever favored the big bats earlier last year. He had said “You’ve still got to be able to hook it off your nose when someone sniffs you at 140, 150 kph. You’ve got to get to the gym and get bigger and stronger. That’s the evolution of the game.“I don’t think they need to regulate bat sizes, personally. You shouldn’t be penalised for being able to lift a heavy bat or play with a heavier bat.”