The Kashmiri willow bat will now make its 50-over international cricket competition debut after being tested in T20. The Kashmiri bat industry sees this as a new beginning for their enterprise. The ICC One-Day World Cup will feature Kashmir willow in many cricket-playing nations.
The project was started by GR8 Sports, a small business in the Anantnag neighbourhood of Halmula-Sangam, which was successful in getting its produced bats used by the Oman cricket team in the T-20 world cup last year. Now, their bats have made their debut in the prequalifying 50 over World Cup.
This development changed the future of Kashmir bat manufacturers. As the performance of Kashmir willow bats has remained very satisfactory in T20 World Cup as the biggest six was hit in the tournament by Kashmir willow bat, and the bat performance remains at par with English willow bats which costs more than a lakh one bat, and as compared to that Kashmir willow bat cost is ten times lesser than that.
This has made more than a dozen cricket-playing countries' bat importers across the globe make orders to Kashmir bat manufacturers. And this time GR8 bat manufacturing industry whose bats were used in T20 World Cup and now in ICC 50-Over One-Day World Cup is having no time to rest to meet the orders. Last year Kashmir bat manufacturing companies exported 1.25 lakh bats and this year they believe it will be double that.
GR8 Sports, owner Fawzal Kabe said, "Last year when we took it to T20 World Cup whole world came to know that we have an alternative in the form of Kashmir willow last the longest six was hit by our bat. Now we made our debut in one-day internationals. And as the player is tested more in One-Day cricket instead of T20 the same test will be of our bat too. In one day, our bat performance will be judged. We were not recognized for 100 years now we are giving the world an alternative this is an economical bat and will also help our economy to boost. "
"We are 400 factories who are manufacturing cricket bats of which 1.5 lakh people are directly and indirectly dependent."
He added, "Since we have hit the longest six of the T20 World Cup that has told all world that Kashmir willow is no less and we have exported 1.25 lakh bats we are growing
The domestic cricketers are also now using Kashmir willow bats many cricket academies are trying their hands at Kashmir willow bats to train their students they feel is cheap and best quality bat.
Dehradun cricket academy coach Abhishek said. "In the matches I have played I found Kashmir willow bats are good, so I am planning to use them in our academy. English willow bats are expensive this Kashmir willow is good as well as cheap it's a good bad."
Government is also in the process to give a unique identification to Kashmir willow bats and the process for giving it a GI tag is going on. Bat manufacturers of Kashmir say that it's a good step and it will help us, but they should also think of starting replantation of willow trees.
According to data, there are 400 cricket bat manufacturing units functional in Kashmir region. Most of them are operational in Bijbehara, Sangam, and Halmulah villages of the Anantnag district. As many as 30 lakh normal cricket bats are exported from Kashmir to other states annually and now 1.25 lakh are exported internationally. Now apart from the normal bats around 3-5 lac bats are expected will be exported from Kashmir every year to those cricket-playing nations that too of international standard.
This Kashmir cricket bat industry has around annual 100 crore turnover per year and the industry provides livelihood to 1.5 thousand people in Kashmir. And now with this new change, it's expected that the turnover will go double. Bat manufacturers said this change will give a boost to the Kashmir bat industry as the international market is being opened for all those associated with the trade.
