More the grains, more Hayden gains

There have been some big scores in this series already, but that particular piece of willow...

There have been some big scores in this series already, but that particular piece of willow has been the most oppressive of all in the eight innings of cricket played so far. Matthew Hayden’s bat has already hammered 307 runs with two big centuries, and Sourav Ganguly believes after Melbourne and Sydney, “it wouldn’t be Hayden again at Perth.”

While the Indian team has been making plans before the third Test to escape another onslaught, the dynamics of Hayden’s bat makes an interesting reading. Hayden uses a 2.9-pound bat, and Stuart Kranbhuler, who has been making bats for the last 15 years offers more insight into it.

“It’s a bit unusual bat keeping in mind the Australians,” he says pointing to one of the autographed bats he’s kept on display. “This bat has got 16 grains in it and he loves to have as many grains as possible. I don’t know if this is maximum used by any international cricketer, but it’s certainly the maximum in Australia,” he says, bringing in a bat-hammer to demonstrate why Hayden prefers such types of bats. “Did you see the rebound off the bat? Hayden loves that rebound, the ball flying off his bat. And, understandably, the Indians hate it,” he laughs.

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Kranbhuler, however, admits that grains on it is risking the bat with a higher percentage of breakage. “He generally breaks 2-3 bats in a series but that can kind of compensate the amount of runs he scores,” he says. Hayden carries six bats at a time in his kitbag and is fussy about having a thin toe for the bats. “He keeps a thin toe and that gives him a belief to hit a lot of balls in the middle. He uses just one thick rubber on the handle and that gives him a good feel.”

“Hayden likes to play all-round game and, as an opener, he has to play the fast bowlers a lot more than other batsmen. That’s why he prefers to keep the ‘weight’ of his bat slightly up than the actual middle, and prefers a biggest and broadest edges he can get as per the law,” he says.

Kranbhuler makes bats for most Australian cricketers and offers to let off a little factoid of the Australian team. With a huge body and powerful arms, you would expect Hayden to be trotting around with the heaviest bat as well. “Do you know who has the heaviest bat in this team? And before you say anything, it’s not Symonds, he adds hastily. “It’s skipper Ricky Ponting, who uses a 2.12 pound bat!”