David Warner defends his big bats

David Warner has defended his use of thick, lightweight bats, and said he believed flat pitches were a more significant factor in any perceived imbalance between bat and ball in Test cricket.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting recently argued for greater regulation of bat depth and weight - at present only a bat's length and width are restricted - in the long form, a call that found support from fast bowler Josh Hazlewood. Ponting will be at the MCC's World Cricket Committee meeting at Lord's next week, and he said bat size would be part of the discussion.

The Gray Nicolls Kaboom bats used by Warner are notable for the extreme thickness of their edges, but they are made of a lightweight wood that makes them deceptively easy to wield. Warner said there were downsides to using such bats, including the greater likelihood of being caught off a leading edge, and he said the state of pitches had a greater say in determining scores.

"If we look around the country, I think the wickets are pretty much dictating," Warner told reporters in Sydney on Friday. "A lot of batsmen are scoring a lot of runs, there have been a lot of runs scored in the last 12 to 18 months; you can't specifically come out and say it is the big bats, because everyone around the country and around the world is scoring a lot of runs. In my mind it is a credit to the bat maker."

Ponting argued that restrictions to bat size should only occur in the longer form of the game and thick, lightweight bats should be allowed to remain in one-day and Twenty20 cricket. In those shorter forms, he said, spectators expected to see plenty of boundaries and entertaining batting, but in Test cricket it was more important to ensure the balance between bat and ball was as fair as possible.

"If people think that it is becoming an unfair advantage they will speak their opinions, but we are getting bigger and stronger and are capable of using bats that are a bit heavy," Warner said. "In Test matches I use a smaller bat unless we are playing in the subcontinent, where I use a heavier bat. My bigger bats might be a lot larger than other players' bats, but it is still the same cleft of wood."

Australia coach Darren Lehmann said the size of bats were just "about right", but also expressed safety concerns for bowlers at nets.

"Where they [the size of bats] are at now, is about right, maybe a little bit less," Lehmann said. "They will certainly make it stock standard for everyone. The edges are too big on some of the bats.

"I see health and safety as a big issue, especially more so in the nets. To be fair, bowlers and net bowlers in the nets are a real worry for us. The way they hit them now, they are stronger athletes - they hit them harder, there is no doubt about that. It [injuries] are going to happen somewhere, hopefully it doesn't, but you have just got to be mindful of all that."