Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: batmatt on February 25, 2018, 06:20:44 AM
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Hi,
Didnt see Ben Stokes bat.
What kit was he using?
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(https://s9.postimg.org/kdcgornfz/3_E41_D341-9401-4275-8_C18-_BDC4_F969_E336.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Thanks @Siviar13
Still searching
Has anyone heard anything?
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Ben Stokes walked out to a big cheer and clapping from the crowd.
Full NB kit adorned, but with the badges taped over.
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I wouldn't think it would take him long to get another sponsor, although maybe not as big a hitter as NB.
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He probably won't get a sponsor until all of the court stuff is sorted, no point spending big bucks on a guy if he ends up in prison.
Trying to imagine what brands might sign him up when all is cleared!
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He probably won't get a sponsor until all of the court stuff is sorted, no point spending big bucks on a guy if he ends up in prison.
Trying to imagine what brands might sign him up when all is cleared!
Hits Hard :D
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Maybe one of the forum sponsors could jump in? Would be decent publicity and I'll bet he'd be willing in the short term.
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He probably won't get a sponsor until all of the court stuff is sorted, no point spending big bucks on a guy if he ends up in prison.
Trying to imagine what brands might sign him up when all is cleared!
Smasher?
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GM have signed Stokes! Big step up in my opinion for GM, they've been missing a marquee England player for a while.
'Ben Stokes joins Team GM
GM is delighted to announce the signing of Ben Stokes to a long term cricket bat and equipment contract with immediate effect
As one of the most talented all-round cricketers in the world, we look forward to working closely with Ben over the coming years, helping him to achieve maximum success by providing him with the best equipment. He will be using the GM Zelos L540 bat during his forthcoming fixtures'
Congrats @Edward Lowy
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The Stokes players edition bats are going to be flying out the door!
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Blimey didn't see that coming.good to have some stickers on his bat thou, it's look a bit village blank!
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Is this a wind up?
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Confirmed by GM on Twitter https://twitter.com/gmcricket/status/979097151056896002?s=21
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Announced on twitter about 15mins ago.
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(https://s31.postimg.org/gzpjov3p7/DZZxo_WW0_AEyn7t.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Great signing for GM, but Stokes using one just doesn't feel right...
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No doubt they'll be a release clause in his contract if he's found guilty later this year.
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I'm very surprised by this. I would have thought that GM would have waited until the trial was concluded before signing Stokes.
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Smart move, cards were in their favour.
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I'm very surprised by this. I would have thought that GM would have waited until the trial was concluded before signing Stokes.
I believe that a lot will come out in court as to why Stokes reacted the way he did... You will still get a lot of people who have never been in such a situation still get on their high horses about him.
First Botham, then Strauss and now GM.. Some people obviously know more than the majority...
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I'm very surprised by this. I would have thought that GM would have waited until the trial was concluded before signing Stokes.
They'll save a lot of money by signing him now?
@Neon Cricket looks like you've missed your chance!
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Should save them some money signing him now with the uncertain future!
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(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/29570346_10156656829606294_5595961678188440062_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=5bcfc70b25c9e7b4acb9c08b2ecad55f&oe=5B4156B2)
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Great signing for GM, but Stokes using one just doesn't feel right...
That is exactly how I felt when I heard the news...not sure why though..I guess most of us sub-consciously associate bat brands with the style of play.
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He looks thrilled.
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ooooof!! That ginger with that lime green, that's a nasty clash, they'll have to change that!
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That's a great bit of business
Look what stokes and root at NB did for bat sales, especially juniors
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Its a great signing for GM and will get them some great exposure during the IPL. Like Root, Stokes is one of those players that helps to sell bats.
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GM swoop in for the best player in the IPL.. and no doubt at a knock down price. Like people say i think the trial will show him to have been standing up for principles... yes he might have gone OTT but i have a feeling people will “understand”. I guess NB had no choice than to ditch him.... not looking so good for them now though, what with smith’s mega fall from grace. I wonder if the warner kaboom will be moved from market?
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Barringtons have just dropped GM as well.
Wonder if they could live to regret this
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Barringtons have just dropped GM as well.
Wonder if they could live to regret this
How can Barringtons drop one of the biggest cricket equipment manufacturers in the UK???
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They could drop you?
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I know. Beggars belief, but sure he knows what he's doing.
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They could drop you?
Drop me?
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I meant barringtons
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Not sure how they could drop me mate.
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Not sure how they could drop me mate.
I think Alvaro means GM could have dropped Barringtons...
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Yeah we cleared that up mate haha.
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Watching the highlights and I notice Stokes is wearing Adidas shoes.
New Balance really have cut all ties with him, haven't they...
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Watching the highlights and I notice Stokes is wearing Adidas shoes.
New Balance really have cut all ties with him, haven't they...
I would think that is more stokes saying Up yours new balance.... I couldn’t believe he was still using their softs taped up
Great signing from GM- looks like he is using GM shape bats and not just restickered his old ones. Hoping to see them
Red bull ones on eBay 😜
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Sorry, but why would those Red Bull ones be on eBay? I was once told by a friend of a friend of Ben Stokes that he usually passes his old bats down to academy players at Durham, I believe.
I hope they do go on eBay, though. I really do!
There's a New Balance bat on eBay right now that was apparently for Ben Stokes but was leftover as it was around that time when the controversy, etc, took place. Looks like an absolute plank with NB stickers on it, however. Again, 'looks'... There were pics of those Kane Williamson GN Velocity bats posted on one thread some time ago by potzy248 and they certainly didn't look pretty. Some few inconsistent, swervy and unclean grains, but I'd bet that they ping like hell.
So something that looks like a plank, may not be. That's why its important to check it out in person. But then again, there's a dilemma: one cannot always check a bat out in person, so one almost always has to take a risk. Trust is super-super important. The most important thing, in fact, I believe, when it comes down to these sort of things. The speed of trust as well.
Ryan Grundy from Hitman almost had me buy what seemed like a plank for 4K. He said it was an MRF that was given to a friend of his because his friend knew a friend that knew Sachin. Then I noticed inconsistencies in what he was saying and all, and I took my time with him. You ask him plenty of questions, he only answers a few and he's deliberately vague. Amazing liar he is, I'll tell you. He even told me that he sold a bat that was made for Virat Kohli, one of his very own, from his bag, for $2500 AUD.........
Would anyone believe me? Thankfully, I haven't deleted those messages.
He also wanted $2000 AUD for a used NB Steve Smith bat that he said he would get me. I ended up catching him out. Kept saying 'I don't get why you would want a player's bat when the bats I have are better than what they give to players?' and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He was always deliberately vague and once you ask him enough questions and don't act like one of his typical customers that get conned out of their money, unless you were born with a very rare genetic mutation guaranteeing a profound level of dumbness, there is no way you'd be able to see through him.
It's sad because I was really excited for the Steve Smith bat and jumped around on my bed when he told me that. He even said it would be one from the Champions Trophy. I know... I eventually found out that he outsources his bats and couldn't give two s***s about integrity. Don't know how people buy off him.
Told me once that he was getting a Steve Smith bat from 'Jatin at SS'. He uses these big names and takes advantage of people's naiveté. Admittedly, I didn't know much about Jatin Sareen or any other bat directors, for that matter, at the time. Only a bit. I knew for a fact that SS had nothing to do with Steve Smith's bats and it was Protos that made them. He doesn't even know the profiles/shapes/preferences of some of these player's bats. I can even get a bat custom-made by SS - nothing hard at all. Doesn't mean it is of the players! So I grilled him after that, and he then goes on to say ridiculous stuff that doesn't align with what he'd previously said. Says that he needed 2K for the Smith bat because players are contractually more responsible for their bats nowadays. I even believed that.
Hear this: He told me a couple of time that he doesn't rate SG. Even said that Smith's bats made by Protos are like 'shop bats' and that F.C. Sondhi a.k.a Protos, are average. Like, wth? Root, (formerly) Stokes, Smith, Miller, Finch, all use bats made by them. As if this 'expert' knows more than the experts that have been in the cricket equipment manufacturing business for dozens of years.
I'm 18 btw, and 17 at the time, so he thought it'd be easy to con me. I ended buying an authentic bat of the Little Master's that was picked out from his personal collection that is his box of around 30 BAS bats in his Mumbai house, after a mutual friend travelled there to watch his 199th test. Will certainly doing a special post with plenty of pics and details. Haven't done so yet because of the amount of scepticism I was afraid it would invite. Only bad thing is that the thick yellow chevron grip that Sachin Tendulkar had used himself (yes, the bat was used by him...) was taken off, though there was a bit of it left, and it had been replaced by a simple blue octopus grip. Nothing huge compared to some of the bigger bats that the great has used at other times during his career. It weighed about 2.12, although it picked up extremely light (but that may have something to do with the fact that I'm 6ft. 5) and the edges measured about 39mm. I've read pretty much everything on Sachin's bats since like primary school, and he's used some much bigger bats. It's also taped near the bottom and the toe has a bit of crack. Front Adidas sticker taken off but the outline and all is easily visible. Its funny because I always told myself that his bat would be the hardest to obtain and it was in the financial sense, but didn't know that I had a friend that knew Sachin.
But, now I couldn't care less as to what others may think. It cost me a lot of money - almost half my savings.
I also got a leather jacket that was from Sachin with the bat because the friend I bought it off was just that nice and leather jackets aren't really his thing, but its for sale on eBay at the moment as I'm looking to fund something fairly vital for the new season. Won't say much on here, as I believe its not appropriate?
Overall, I'm sorry if I annoyed anyone. This may not have been the most appropriate thread to post the latter-half of the email on, but I had to get it out.
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Sorry, but why would those Red Bull ones be on eBay? I was once told by a friend of a friend of Ben Stokes that he usually passes his old bats down to academy players at Durham, I believe.
I hope they do go on eBay, though. I really do!
There's a New Balance bat on eBay right now that was apparently for Ben Stokes but was leftover as it was around that time when the controversy, etc, took place. Looks like an absolute plank with NB stickers on it, however. Again, 'looks'... There were pics of those Kane Williamson GN Velocity bats posted on one thread some time ago by potzy248 and they certainly didn't look pretty. Some few inconsistent, swervy and unclean grains, but I'd bet that they ping like hell.
So something that looks like a plank, may not be. That's why its important to check it out in person. But then again, there's a dilemma: one cannot always check a bat out in person, so one almost always has to take a risk. Trust is super-super important. The most important thing, in fact, I believe, when it comes down to these sort of things. The speed of trust as well.
Ryan Grundy from Hitman almost had me buy what seemed like a plank for 4K. He said it was an MRF that was given to a friend of his because his friend knew a friend that knew Sachin. Then I noticed inconsistencies in what he was saying and all, and I took my time with him. You ask him plenty of questions, he only answers a few and he's deliberately vague. Amazing liar he is, I'll tell you. He even told me that he sold a bat that was made for Virat Kohli, one of his very own, from his bag, for $2500 AUD.........
Would anyone believe me? Thankfully, I haven't deleted those messages.
He also wanted $2000 AUD for a used NB Steve Smith bat that he said he would get me. I ended up catching him out. Kept saying 'I don't get why you would want a player's bat when the bats I have are better than what they give to players?' and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He was always deliberately vague and once you ask him enough questions and don't act like one of his typical customers that get conned out of their money, unless you were born with a very rare genetic mutation guaranteeing a profound level of dumbness, there is no way you'd be able to see through him.
It's sad because I was really excited for the Steve Smith bat and jumped around on my bed when he told me that. He even said it would be one from the Champions Trophy. I know... I eventually found out that he outsources his bats and couldn't give two s***s about integrity. Don't know how people buy off him.
Told me once that he was getting a Steve Smith bat from 'Jatin at SS'. He uses these big names and takes advantage of people's naiveté. Admittedly, I didn't know much about Jatin Sareen or any other bat directors, for that matter, at the time. Only a bit. I knew for a fact that SS had nothing to do with Steve Smith's bats and it was Protos that made them. He doesn't even know the profiles/shapes/preferences of some of these player's bats. I can even get a bat custom-made by SS - nothing hard at all. Doesn't mean it is of the players! So I grilled him after that, and he then goes on to say ridiculous stuff that doesn't align with what he'd previously said. Says that he needed 2K for the Smith bat because players are contractually more responsible for their bats nowadays. I even believed that.
Hear this: He told me a couple of time that he doesn't rate SG. Even said that Smith's bats made by Protos are like 'shop bats' and that F.C. Sondhi a.k.a Protos, are average. Like, wth? Root, (formerly) Stokes, Smith, Miller, Finch, all use bats made by them. As if this 'expert' knows more than the experts that have been in the cricket equipment manufacturing business for dozens of years.
I'm 18 btw, and 17 at the time, so he thought it'd be easy to con me. I ended buying an authentic bat of the Little Master's that was picked out from his personal collection that is his box of around 30 BAS bats in his Mumbai house, after a mutual friend travelled there to watch his 199th test. Will certainly doing a special post with plenty of pics and details. Haven't done so yet because of the amount of scepticism I was afraid it would invite. Only bad thing is that the thick yellow chevron grip that Sachin Tendulkar had used himself (yes, the bat was used by him...) was taken off, though there was a bit of it left, and it had been replaced by a simple blue octopus grip. Nothing huge compared to some of the bigger bats that the great has used at other times during his career. It weighed about 2.12, although it picked up extremely light (but that may have something to do with the fact that I'm 6ft. 5) and the edges measured about 39mm. I've read pretty much everything on Sachin's bats since like primary school, and he's used some much bigger bats. It's also taped near the bottom and the toe has a bit of crack. Front Adidas sticker taken off but the outline and all is easily visible. Its funny because I always told myself that his bat would be the hardest to obtain and it was in the financial sense, but didn't know that I had a friend that knew Sachin.
But, now I couldn't care less as to what others may think. It cost me a lot of money - almost half my savings.
I also got a leather jacket that was from Sachin with the bat because the friend I bought it off was just that nice and leather jackets aren't really his thing, but its for sale on eBay at the moment as I'm looking to fund something fairly vital for the new season. Won't say much on here, as I believe its not appropriate?
Overall, I'm sorry if I annoyed anyone. This may not have been the most appropriate thread to post the latter-half of the email on, but I had to get it out.
You are a bit keen though pal no disrecpt i refused to sell you the pro bats i had because you went to far offering thousends of pounds mate. No bat even if it is used by God himself is worth thats.
Buy bats that suit you if your a collector thats fine but mate check your source and authenticity of the bats. (Just do not go about it by offering sheadloads mate) you can get most pro replica from Australia and India direct, many have bought bats direct from SS and GN and others.
Plenty of wrong uns on there the guy selling the fake pro bats on ebay is another idiot, do not get stung pal use the forum for advice at times
Hope you put pictures up of your bats
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What a read that was! The Hitman guy does seem like a complete (No Swearing Please) and we need to find a way to oust him entirely from the cricketing world.
As Dave’s said though - thousands is an extortionate about of money for a piece of wood. You look hard enough you’ll find a bat very similar to the one Sachin used for 200/300 quid.
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Thank you for your positive reply(s). I didn't know there were people like him. I paid quite a bit for my match-used Sachin bat, but it was from his PERSONAL collection. Definitely doing a post soon, when I feel comfortable enough. I looked everywhere for a bat of Sachin's and only found one authentic one with a mountain of evidence and that was with a mutual friend who is twice as old as me. I searched very hard for a bat of Tendulkar's and Steve Smith's everywhere (Smith is favourite playing batsman) and I could really only find one authentic one; I certainly didn't want to burn myself out. And even if I did find another one, it wouldn't be sold for 200/300 quid - that's the price that normal retail bats sell for. There is no way anyone would give away an authentic bat of Sachin's for less than a thousand pounds. Sure, it may be a piece of wood. But the value of any item is determined by many factors, right? In the case of cricket bats, the particular person it belonged to, the quantity, where it came from, its authenticity, when it was used, where it was used, specific markings, condition of the bat, etc, etc. It's also signed without being dedicated to a specific person. Just says, 'Best Wishes, Sachin'. Had my eyes on this bat since 2013 when he first gave it away. Would've preferred it with its original yellow chevron grip but, meh.
I also have one of Arjun Tendulkar's bats in my room right now - it's a black Spartan. About five straight grains, fairly thick edges, very high spine, hammer edge scuff sheet, very nice handle. Size: LB. So suits me perfectly. Pings pretty good, but the noise the bat against a ball is as if its secretly an aluminium bat. Wasn't very impressed! But balance and all is great. My Newbery Mjolnir that I got in a car boot sale for £5 is somehow much better. Its a SH which is annoying, but I've hit some big sixes despite the thinness of the bat.
With regards to the Hitman Cricket stuff, he's said many more shocking things but he's basically a guy who just wants your money and very few questions. If you don't trust him with blind-faith, he'll just con someone else. Never felt satisfied enough with his highly, HIGHLY vague answers and self-contradictions I only had these experiences with him because I'm super, super passionate and, therefore, always really curious and inquisitive (no tooting my horn saying that's groundbreaking or anything, hahahaha) and it took me a while to figure him out. I always ask a ton of questions which can be annoying...
I'm sorry I didn't say all this before. None of this was exaggerated or lies, and I planned to write all this before, but it didn't feel right bringing someone down but, man, with his extortionate prices and all, it would be an understatement to say I was hella annoyed.
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@procricket Thanks for the great advice. Really appreciate it. :D I only offered a lot for the Dhoni if I'm not wrong, because his accepted bats are awesome and I love the curvature of his bat: haven't seen that with the bat of any other player, really. Having trouble finding an authentic bat of his, but I'm sure you'll sell it one day or another, hopefully!
Just to clarify: I've after one of Dhoni's and Smith's bats. I have a particular knack for the used bats of great pros. Not that it'll make me as good as them, hahaha! I'm always been obsessed about spin bowling anyhow.
I didn't know that you had used the Puma that was for McCullum and that it had cracked. You told me that a bit later on in the day. During the time I was thinking of buying a few bats from Hitman, I didn't ask for advice on here because I feel that some are maybe *too* sceptical of such rare bats being obtained. No offence to anyone at all! I have massive respect for everyone on here, no hard feelings. But that's one of the reasons I don't post any pics on here, but I will give it a shot soon enough. I think the 'If it's too good to be true, then it probably is' is now a bit cliché. My Father constantly laughed at me during the period I was working on obtaining the Tendulkar bat, but I knew that it was authentic 110%, and I had to go with the evidence. When I was finally given the bat while sitting in Costa where I met up with my friend, we discussed how some people let the impossible stay 'impossible'. He's played professional cricket so he knows his stuff. I mean, at the end of the day, used bats aren't just pieces of willow, but pieces of history. That's what any cricket geek would say. That's what I believe. Still, if I got one of Tendulkar's used bats, then getting any other player's bat should be easier. Not necessarily much easier, but yeah, and nowhere near as much in value.
On an additional note, just to clarify, I didn't offer Ryan $2000 AUD for a used Smith bat. He told me that it would cost that much as 'players are much more responsible for their bats nowadays' and whatnot!
It'd be very sad if he actually sold a Kohli for $2500 AUD as he once told me on Gmail. I had to ask him another time right after he'd told me that, and he said something along the lines of 'The last bat sold for 2500 AUD. That's what I'm saying mate. :)'.
A man of a very disingenuous craft. Hope not to talk to anyone like that again.
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Sorry, I forgot to add something.
I think Ryan has moles on this forum, lol. You can read one of his latest Hitman Cricket posts and infer that he's indirectly addressing the recent thread reviewing those Hitman bats on here.
I do not have a personal vendetta against him. Why would I? He's not a coach that dropped me for a very important game and runs a cricket business on the side. If he finds out about this exposé, and I'm sure he will (soon enough...), then that might be one of the first things that he'll illogically use against me. But I'm well and truly flabbergasted that no one (and I don't have the power to do this, but I will keep trying) has tried to tell Jatin and the other subcontinental bat directors who's name he flaunts to his own benefit. I am almost certain that he hasn't even spoken to any of them. Why would they give away their best bats (better than the ones they give the players, apparently) and let them sell out every time to his own visceral, financial gain? I doubt aaaaaalllll these bat directors that he says he knows such as Jatin (SS), Zahid (CA), Harjit (RNS), etc, etc, would do such a repetitive favour, even if his (with all due respect) father was best friends with any of these directors. It is disgusting.
If anyone knows any of these directors, especially Mr. Jatin Sareen, I'd let them know as soon as I could. They're being milked. How are they not? There's a question. This sort of a scheme is highly illegal, if I'm not wrong.
Hitman Cricket is most definitely not a multi-national company like MRF, CEAT, Hero Honda, etc. They pay much more to the batmakers and also pay the players like crazy. Kohli's getting paid crores to show of those bright red three letters that the likes of Lara, Tendulkar, Waugh, Dhawan, Sharma, Gambhir and now even, the young prodigy Prithvi Shaw (what an achievement at such a tender age!), have endorsed. Also, he'd said that he could get any bat made for him by SG. Quite obviously (No Swearing Please). STILL, despite that massive privilege, he doesn't rate them. I mean...
Oh, but hold your horses, he has a perfectly valid answer for the unusual supply that he gets. 'I pay top-dollar so they take care of me.'
Again, I don't mean any great offence to Ryan but I'm just stating pure facts, and Hitman Cricket is a farce that he is solely responsible for as well as his bunch of minions that have advocated it like nothing else. 'Oh, there's nothing like these bats!'. If that was the case, mate, pros would be coming to you. G'day!
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@procricket Thanks for the great advice. Really appreciate it. :D I only offered a lot for the Dhoni if I'm not wrong, because his accepted bats are awesome and I love the curvature of his bat: haven't seen that with the bat of any other player, really. Having trouble finding an authentic bat of his, but I'm sure you'll sell it one day or another, hopefully!
Just to clarify: I've after one of Dhoni's and Smith's bats. I have a particular knack for the used bats of great pros. Not that it'll make me as good as them, hahaha! I'm always been obsessed about spin bowling anyhow.
I didn't know that you had used the Puma that was for McCullum and that it had cracked. You told me that a bit later on in the day. During the time I was thinking of buying a few bats from Hitman, I didn't ask for advice on here because I feel that some are maybe *too* sceptical of such rare bats being obtained. No offence to anyone at all! I have massive respect for everyone on here, no hard feelings. But that's one of the reasons I don't post any pics on here, but I will give it a shot soon enough. I think the 'If it's too good to be true, then it probably is' is now a bit cliché. My Father constantly laughed at me during the period I was working on obtaining the Tendulkar bat, but I knew that it was authentic 110%, and I had to go with the evidence. When I was finally given the bat while sitting in Costa where I met up with my friend, we discussed how some people let the impossible stay 'impossible'. He's played professional cricket so he knows his stuff. I mean, at the end of the day, used bats aren't just pieces of willow, but pieces of history. That's what any cricket geek would say. That's what I believe. Still, if I got one of Tendulkar's used bats, then getting any other player's bat should be easier. Not necessarily much easier, but yeah, and nowhere near as much in value.
On an additional note, just to clarify, I didn't offer Ryan $2000 AUD for a used Smith bat. He told me that it would cost that much as 'players are much more responsible for their bats nowadays' and whatnot!
It'd be very sad if he actually sold a Kohli for $2500 AUD as he once told me on Gmail. I had to ask him another time right after he'd told me that, and he said something along the lines of 'The last bat sold for 2500 AUD. That's what I'm saying mate. :)'.
A man of a very disingenuous craft. Hope not to talk to anyone like that again.
You will struggle it in my mates bag and it will be staying there.
I love a good pro bat i really do (the story behind them like my James Taylor bat) but i wouldn't pay top dollar because of one or two things.
The players tend not to give away there best bats. (unless you get a broken one which can be fixed.
After knocking in a few pro designated bats including Stokes when B3 made his bats they where no better than what i have had and ones on cricket shops shelf's most of the time.
Infact on of Stokes bats he took to Australia when he scored his first ton was a massive butterfly around the splice on the back (NB Stickers hide things well).
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Yeah, I understand and I see what you mean, but Ryan doesn't pay top-dollar or anything. I think he gets (No Swearing Please) bats mass-produced with nice handles.
And I only paid more than I usually would dish out on a bat for the Tendulkar because it's so rare and I wouldn't say it was too much (again, not revealing the price).
I really like your Dhoni.
By the way, what is the story behind your James Taylor bat?
One of the bats I played best with was a well-used Gray Nicolls Quantum Limited Edition (the pink one) that I got off Gumtree for £70 when I was in Year 9, and it just felt so right. Came with a thicker bottom-half where it had a half an extra grip. Gotta love a square toe. 'Twas my first time using an adult-sized bat (SH) and the ping wasn't bad either. Didn't look the best, though, but I couldn't care less about aesthetics at the time. The ping can be the best in the world, but the execution on the player's part could be terrible and, thus, ping would be pretty much redundant.
The Stokes fact at the end was really interesting - thank you so much. But a butterfly isn't like a death-sentence for a piece of willow, is it?