Big bats not to blame: Warner

Australia opener David Warner believes flat pitches are more to blame for prolific run scoring than bigger bats.

Warner, who wields one of the thickest blades in world cricket, has disagreed with former captain Ricky Ponting's call to limit bat sizes for Tests, saying there are "pros and cons" to the larger-than-average blades.

"The wickets are pretty much dictating the Test arena at the moment and a lot of batters are scoring," Warner said in Sydney on Friday.

"A lot of runs have been scored in the last 12-18 months but you can’t specifically say it’s because of the big bats, because everyone around the county and the world is scoring a lot of runs.

"In my mind it’s a credit to the bat maker, because he’s told he can use one cleft of wood. If he can use his brains and technology to make a bat light and large, then it’s a credit to him."

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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting re-opened the debate on increasingly chunky cricket bats this week and will raise the issue at the Marylebone Cricket Club's World Cricket committee meeting at Lord's next week where he hopes to garner support for a change in the Laws to restrict bat size.

"At the end day if people think it’s becoming an unfair advantage people will speak their opinion," Warner said.

"But we’re getting bigger and stronger as well, we’re capable of using those bats that are a bit heavy.

"From my point of view in Tests I use a smaller bat, unless I’m in the subcontinent when I use a heavier bat. My heavy bats might be a lot larger than other players’ bats, but it’s still the same cleft of wood."

Warner said he felt the use of thicker bats came with risks as well as benefits.

"If we go back to the Ashes and look at my leading edges, I think (my bat) probably didn’t help me, so I think there are pros and cons."

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Ponting, who was forced to abandon using a Kookaburra bat that had a graphite backing because of concerns over its effect on performance, is concerned about the ability of bat-makers to produce bats with thicker edges without adding extra weight to them.

By using denser wood, seen in Warner's bats for instance, players now have access to huge, but relatively light, bats.

"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," the 41-year-old said at the Australian Cricket Society's annual dinner.

"Chris Gayle's the same. Everyone talks about Chris Gayle's bat size, but it's 3½lbs. He's big enough and strong enough to use it.

"I only get worried when they are really big and really light."

Ponting is confident he can push through change, but said he thought the bigger bats had their place in the limited-overs formats.

Ponting’s call was backed by Australia quick Josh Hazlewood, who believes restrictions should apply to Test cricket. 

"I'm all for it," Hazlewood declared on Wednesday when asked for a fast bowler's opinion on restricting bat sizes.

"Some of those cricket bats going around the dressing shed at the moment are unbelievably big.

"I think he (Ponting) has made a good point about just in Test matches."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, batsmen are not such avid fans of restricting bats sizes. One such opponent is former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.

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Speaking to cricket.com.au last month, McCullum, who will join the MCC's World Cricket committee later this year, said the current regulations on bat sizes were adequate.

"It's still wood though isn't it?" McCullum said of modern bats. "Ultimately, if you can find the best piece of wood you shouldn't be penalised for that.

"It's a natural product - it's wood. If you've got the right people to find a piece of wood for you that's big and you're able to lift then, in my mind, play on. 

"You've still got to be able to lift them. My bats are 3lbs 1oz for instance but you've got to lift them and that's the thing."

A report commissioned by the MCC in 2014 found that while the length and width of bats has remained steady over the years, both the thickness of the blade and the size of the 'sweet spot' have increased dramatically.

The report found that bat thickness has increased up to 22 mm over the past century and the size of the 'sweet spot' on the face of the bat is almost two-and-a-half times larger.

The thickness of edges in modern bats has also increased by almost 300 per cent which, combined with greater stiffness to limit vibrations, means mis-hits can travel much further.

Despite those findings, the World Cricket Committee decided against placing any restrictions on bat sizes at a 2014 meeting.