Ryder not too taken up with Gray Nicolls's double-sided bats

Wellington, Apr.2 (ANI): Double-sided bats are here to stay, but Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder isn't too taken up with the idea of using it.

New sponsor Gray Nicolls handed Test batsman Jesse Ryder the jazzy bat, invented for hitting reverse sweeps with the back of the bat's flat surface, and some space-age helmets yesterday.

Gray Nicolls' Cameron Black said the bats had caused a stir in Australia after David Warner hit Australian team-mate Shaun Tait on to the roof of the Adelaide Oval using the back of the bat.

"It created quite a storm. It was developed for players that were looking for that reverse sweep shot. So what we did was we developed a bat where you can hit off both sides. It has been passed by the MCC, so it is legal," a Dominion Post report quoted him, as saying.

Ryder was slightly less enthusiastic about his new toy.

"I'm not planning on using it. I'm not the best player to be reverse sweeping, so I don't practice it. But I'll give it a go in the nets and see how it goes," he said. (ANI)