2023/24 Aotearoa Test Summer: Who Is Using What Bats?
The Aotearoa Test cricket summer needs its annual check in with who is using what bats. This has been a regular activity for Blackcaps Tests over the past few years and with a few versions published, they have documented how different brands have dipped out of Blackcaps 1st 11 matters while others enjoy greater prominence.
A few summers ago there was a cluster of Blackcaps who switched from Kookaburra to SS Ton. This was amplified by Devon Conway bursting into the Blackcaps mix as a Gunn & Moore lad before he switched to SS and unfortunately for Conway, his dip in run-scoring form was followed by an injury which ruled him out of the Tests vs Australia.
The absence of Conway was absorbed by Ben Sears' selection and while he didn't score a run with his SS blade, Sears did finish not-out in his debut Test innings. Sears does appear to be using an SS Ton bat but his gloves and pads are 'SM' which is a brand from England that does not seem to be linked with SS.
We are not experts on these matters and the whole 'who is using what bats?' concept is here to learn more, so it could be that Sears does not have the same SS Ton sponsorship as Conway. Or there could be a strong link between SS Ton from India and SM, but Sears is in the Blackcaps to bowl and common sense suggests that the Test debutant hasn't commanded a full banger batting kit sponsor. Maybe the combo of SS and SM is a great deal for Sears, while also rocking New Balance bowling boots.
Sears is making his Test debut against Australia because Will O'Rourke got injured and O'Rourke was playing because Kyle Jamieson got injured. O'Rourke has a dash of prestige as he is in the GM stable, bowling in Asics boots. Jamieson is still with Kookaburra and bowls in Adidas kicks, which is the same combo used by Matt Henry.
Tim Southee was fully equipped in Adidas gears up until a few years ago before he starting using 'SF' bats. Adidas are still a major supplier of shoes so Southee is still rocking those and apparently Southee has his own 'Players Limited Edition' bat with Stanford which is from India. There aren't many other lads who use SF bats and while Southee isn't a headline batter who showcases his Stanford blade, he is the skipper of Aotearoa who can command a decent deal.
Mitchell Santner also played Tests this summer and he is still with New Balance, who now have Glenn Phillips as a 1st 11 cricketer. Phillips was photographed with his NB gear and the bat used is in the 'Burn' range, while it appears like Santner is in the 'DC' range. NB have plenty of shoes on offer so blokes with NB batting equipment usually have NB shoes as well.
Kookaburra have Tom Latham and Tom Blundell along with the bowlers. Latham is still using the Kahuna and the lime green Kookaburra flavour has been a staple of Latham's career. Things get funky in pictures below via Getty that have Blundell using the Ghost in practice for Tests vs Australia and the Retro blade in games. Blundell also seems to have used the Retro bat in Tests vs South Africa and as expected, he's loaded with Kookaburra wicket-keeping gear. Blundell is wearing Nike shoes which is especially interesting in the series against Australia as Nathan Lyon may have the coolest bowling kicks going around, while Rachin Ravindra appears to have similar Nikes to Blundell.
Ravindra leads the DSC ranks which makes him the skux delux. As expected, Ravindra has a 'Players Edition' which is listed as the 'Blak' option for his DSC profile and with David Warner dipping out of Test cricket, Ravindra is joined by Usman Khawaja and Marco Jansen as DSC's most high profile Test cricketers. For anyone wanting to emulate Ravindra, you may want to check on the 'Tennis Bat' range for DSC.
Will Young is leading the way for GM. His profile lists him as using the 'Sparq' model but that may need to be updated as Young is opening the batting against Australia with a 'Hypa' bat. With his crisp Asics shoes, I reckon Young has the most aesthetic batting kit and while he is always battling for a spot in the 1st 11, Young is the leading lad for GM right now which is a notable credit.
Gray Nicolls still have Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell in their stable, both of whom appear to wear Asics shoes. Williamson uses the 'Nova' range although the middle of his favourite bat is well worn out, so the bro probably has plenty of unused bats in his shed. Mitchell appears to have used two different styles of Gray Nicolls this summer and while it's tricky to nail them down, they seem to be either 'Vapor' or 'Astro'. The light blue style used against Australia looks the best and that may be the Vapor, either way Mitchell has settled into all formats with Blackcaps as a Gray Nicolls trooper.
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