Kashmir willow bats features in UAE vs Netherlands match in ICC T20 World Cup 2022

The Kashmiri bat industry was founded long ago and since then the valley has produced thousands of bats every year - Story By: Syed Shadab Ali Gillani

Zee News

Story By: Syed Shadab Ali Gillani

Today's T20 World Cup match between the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands features players from the UAE's national cricket team using bats manufactured from Kashmiri willow. According to Fawzul Kabeer, owner of GR8 Sports, Four players from the UAE team are using Kashmiri bats in the T20 World Cup 2022. These include all-rounder Zahoor Khan, Kashif Daud, Junaid Siddique and Fahad Nawaz. These players will also use protective gear made by GR8 Sports in addition to bats.

“T20 world cup is the best platform for us to introduce our brand and product to the world. I have put in a lot of effort, travelled to several cricketing nations and informed them about the Kashmir-Willow bat which is a less expensive alternative to English willow,” Said Kabeer.

Kashmir willow bats features in UAE vs Netherlands match in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 pic.twitter.com/CYiDC0l6ud — Akash Kharade (@cricaakash) October 16, 2022

The cricketers signed the contract while competing in International Cricket Council (ICC) qualifiers in Dubai in April and May this year.

“Introducing our bats to the international stage was not an easy task for us. We put a lot of effort into this, and the ICC Cricket Academy greatly assisted us in achieving our objective. The Sher e Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) also had a significant impact on our knowledge of the various willows utilised in the manufacture of bats,” Said Kabeer.

In addition to this, he also expressed his gratitude towards the different craftsmen's work involved, while praising them for their guidance and contribution in designing and shaping their products efficiently.

Last year Fawzul brought about new hope for Kashmir's bat industry as it made an international debut at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, where two Oman players Bilal Khan and Naseem Khushi used Kashmir Willow bats.

“We expect that the demand will remain strong and support the growth of an industry that has been in danger for some time. The sector has tremendous potential and will contribute to lowering unemployment in the area,” said Kabeer.

The Kashmiri bat industry was founded long ago and since then valley has produced thousands of bats every year.

“With the help of contemporary technology, we have taken this to a new level where we employ Computer Monitored Compression (CMC) to deliver precision, accuracy and compression to the bat, and this technology is only used by our company, Said Kabeer.

UAE's first game is today against the Netherlands; on October 18 they play Sri Lanka, and on October 20 they play Namibia. Kashmiri willow is considered to be heavier than its English competitor, thus more durability in its functionality when put to use in bats.