Barry Richards holds the bat with which he made 325 in a day at the WACA in 1970 in his right hand, and David Warner’s modern-day weapon in his left
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes the size and weight of bats used in Test cricket should be regulated to ensure a greater balance between bat and ball.
At present, cricket’s laws only limit the length and width of bats, not the depth or weight. That has led to the development of bats made from lighter material but with extremely thick edges, such as the Gray-Nicolls Kaboom bats used by David Warner.
Speaking at a recent Australian Cricket Society function, Ponting said he had no problem with such bats being used in the shorter forms of the game but believed they should be banned from Test cricket. The main issue, Ponting argued, was the lightweight materials used, and he said that players should not be prevented from using big bats as long as they were also heavy.
“I don’t know how they are doing it to make the size of bats they are making now,” Ponting said. "The modern day bats and weight in particular – it’s just a completely different game. Full credit to them. If they are there use them, if there’s a better golf club or tennis racquet everyone will use it. It’s nothing against the players.
“If you are strong enough to use them that’s fine, but you should not get a bat that’s bigger in size than [MS] Dhoni’s but a whole lot lighter. Chris Gayle’s the same. Everyone talks about Chris Gayle’s bat size, but it’s 3½ lbs. He’s big enough and strong enough to use it. I only get worried when they are really big and really light.”
Ponting will be at the next meeting of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee at Lord’s early next week, and he said bat size and weight would be one of the topics discussed.
“I think it will happen,” he said. "I am going in a couple of weeks for a World Cricket Committee meeting and that will be one of the topics talked about. I don’t mind it for the shorter versions of the game.
“I would actually say you’ve got a bat you can use in Test cricket and a certain type of bat you can use in one-day cricket and T20 cricket. The short forms of the game survive on boundaries - fours and sixes - whereas the Test game is being dominated too much now by batters because the game is a bit easier for them than it was.”
Re: One of the reasons for recent dominance of bat over ball in cricket
David Warner’s bats are among the thickest in international cricket
**
The thickness of bats should be reduced by 20mm, says the committee which proposes changes to cricket’s Laws.**
The Marylebone Cricket Club world cricket committee says batting has become “too easy”, with bats up to 80mm thick with 55mm edges.
There are currently no limits on the thickness of bats, but the committee wants to introduce a maximum depth of 60-65mm and a maximum edge of 35-40mm.
If approved by the MCC, the new Law could be introduced on 1 October 2017.
In June, the International Cricket Council (ICC) called for restrictions* to be introduced to “help achieve a better balance between bat and ball”.* Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, a member of the world cricket committee, wants bats, which are “unbelievably big”,](Ricky Ponting: We must limit bat sizes for Test matches | Cricket News | Sky Sports) to be reduced in size in Test cricket.** But current Australia batsman David Warner says faster scoring and bigger totals are a result of flatter pitches rather than improvements in bat technology.** The world cricket committee, which consists of 12 former international players, met at Lord’s on Monday and Tuesday. It also made several other proposals:
****Olympics: The committee said “cricket must embrace the concept of playing Twenty20 in the Olympic Games” by applying for a place in the 2024 edition.
****League system in Test cricket: The committee supported a potential future system of promotion and relegation in Test cricket, as well as the “expansion of day-night matches with a pink ball”.
****‘Mankading’: The committee supported the ICC’s ruling that non-strikers must stay in their crease until the point of release of the ball. Batsmen attempting to back up before the ball is released were “taking an advantage or acting carelessly”, the committee said.
Re: One of the reasons for recent dominance of bat over ball in cricket
**Mankading **is a cricket term which means batsman at the non-striker's end leaves his popping crease and walks towards the other end of the wicket so that it will take him less time to reach the other end if he and his batting partner choose to attempt a run. Sometimes a batsman, whilst backing up, leaves the popping crease before the bowler has actually delivered the ball.
Re: One of the reasons for recent dominance of bat over ball in cricket
And this is not about batting style or instincts but about bigger & broader bats (so batsmen can hit with more power and also shield their pads and stumps better) giving an unfair advantage to the batsman
Ball size has stayed the same. So balance between bat and ball has been clearly disturbed.
