Bigger yet lighter bats worry me: Ricky Ponting

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that there should be regulations on bat sizes used in the Test format. Ponting, Australian Cricket Society function, has called for a guideline for the size-to-weight ratio, foxsports.com.au has reported.

“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 (1.59 kg). He’s big enough and strong enough to use it. I only get worried when they are really big and really light.”

Ponting, a member of the MCC World Cricket Committee, said he would discuss the point at the next committee meeting.  He says he doesn’t mind big bats for limited overs cricket but a certain type of norm should be there for the bats used in the Test format.

“I think it will happen,” Ponting 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 (big bats) 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.”

Last month, the International Cricket Council’s Cricket Committee, headed by Anil Kumble, had called for the MCC to take the initiative in regulating bat sizes. The MCC still has overall responsibility for cricket’s laws.

The ICC Cricket Committee, which also includes Andrew Strauss, Rahul Dravid, Mahela Jayawardene and Darren Lehmann, had said last month, “The committee received a research paper from MCC citing a wealth of scientific and statistical evidence showing bats have become more powerful in recent years, primarily due to having larger ‘sweet-spots’.

“The committee’s view was that MCC should strongly consider limiting the dimensions of cricket bats to help achieve a better balance between bat and ball.”