World Cup Cricket Bats from Coimbatore

Although often Indian cricketers flatter to deceive, cricket bats made in India are in great demand around the world.

Indeed, the leading wielders of willow around the globe prefer Indian-made bats.

In Coimbatore, a cricket bat-manufacturing unit named Bat Craft is engaged in meeting the demands of leading batsmen, both from India and abroad.

These bats are mainly made from willow wood imported from England.

Until a couple of years ago, these willow trees were grown in Kashmir. The availability of willow wood became scarce after the Government banned the felling of willow trees to prevent excessive deforestration. Sports good makers then resorted to importing willow wood from England.

According to George Xavier, the manager at Bat Craft International, the bats are made as per specifications and measures forwarded to the company by different players.

"We are making international cricket bats for the last seven years. Now-a-days because of the World Cup cricket tournament, there is a huge demand in the national and international market. We have dispatched the first set of bats for the World Cup, and we will dispatch the next set of bats within one or two days. We make bats for players of teams like Australia, New Zealand, and the West Indies and also for our own Indian team. There is a huge demand of cricket bats, but we cannot fulfill the demands because we are short of willow from England," said Xavier.

Players like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sanat Jayasuriya, Brian Lara and Adam Gilchrist get their bats made by Bat Craft International.

The firm, which used to make 500 bats per month, has now been compelled to double up production to meet the demands of the players participating in the 2007 World Cup.