We are stronger and capable of using bats that are a bit heavy: David Warner

Australian opener David Warner feels that flat pitches and not bigger bats have resulted in an imbalance between bat and ball in the Test format. Earlier, Ricky Ponting, former Australia captain, had stated that “Bigger yet lighter bats worry me.”

Ponting, who was speaking at the Australian Cricket Society function a few days ago, had called for bats to be regulated, at least in the longer format of the game, to ensure a better balance in cricket. Ponting is slated to discuss with the rest of Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) World Cricket Committee members at Lord’s about the concerns surrounding modern day bat technology. Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood also voiced a similar opinion.

“If we look around the country, I think the wickets are pretty much dictating the Test arena,” Warner said on Friday (July 8). “A lot of batsmen are scoring a lot of runs and there have been a lot of runs scored in the last 12 to 18 months and you can’t specifically come out and say it is the big bats because everyone around the country and around the world is scoring a lot of runs. In my mind, it is a credit to the bat-maker.”

“If people think that it is becoming an unfair advantage they will speak their opinions, but we are getting bigger and stronger and are capable of using bats that are a bit heavy,” Warner says.

“In Test matches, I use a smaller bat unless we are playing in the subcontinent, where I use a heavier bat. My bigger bats might be a lot larger than other players’ bats, but it is still the same cleft of wood.”

The Gray Nicolls Kaboom willow that Warner uses also has thicker edges and a larger sweet spot which means that the ball would fly off the bat much more quickly than a normal willow. On top of it, the bat is relatively light in weight when compared to the size of the equipment. In short, Warner’s bat weighs only around 2lb, 10oz despite its big size.