Top four bats used by prominent players in cricket history

A bat provides a fundamental core to the game of cricket. It is very important for batsmen to choose bats which meet their optimum standards. Having a perfect bat is an adequate add-on to the technique of a batsman. Over the course of time, bats have evolved gradually to fit into the changing dynamics of the game.

Extra Cover: Five players who used heavy bats

Cricketers have come up with several types of bats varying on shape, size and weight. Here are four of the best bats used by some of the greatest batsmen in cricket history.

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Kookaburra Beast

The Beast is one of the masterpieces from Kookaburra Sport. The bat is made up of highest grade English willow wood which is naturally air-dried. However, the junior version of the bat uses Kashmir Willow.

The handle is made of Sarawak cane and is covered in an octopus grip. This well crafted and precisely designed bat provides a wonderful power stroke with a very low pick-up time. The Beast comes in several models. Angry Beast and Wild Beast are the most widely used models.

Prominent players who have used this bat include Ricky Ponting, Brad Haddin, Brad Hodge, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine and Michell Johnson.

Reebok Blast

Dhoni with the Reebok Blast during the 2011 World Cup

Reebok is one of the renowned manufacturers of cricket bats. Reebok's Blast is one of its premium lines. The bat is designed in a traditional way with the latest bat manufacturing technology. Made of Grade-I English willow, the 9-piece Sarawak cane handle comes with chevron grip. The bat has a heavy look due to its thick edge but the pick-up time is amazingly low.

The bat has been endorsed by some of the best batsmen in the business such as MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Sanath Jayasuriya.

Kookaburra Kahuna

AB de Villiers is the most famous batsman to use the Kahuna

The Kahuna is the only premium brand bat from Kookaburra Sport. The bat is made of the top grade English willow, evenly spaced grain and has a twelve-piece Sarawak cane handle. Its pick-up is relatively faster than other Kookaburra bats.

The Kahuna faced a controversy when the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) issued a ban which prevented batsmen from using this particular bat in Tests. According to the game's custodians, the bat's graphite backing gives an unfair advantage to the batsman. The bat is now only used in the shorter formats of the game.

Some leading batsmen who have used Kahuna are AB de Villiers, Martin Guptill, Ricky Ponting, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Glenn Maxwell and Ian Bell.

Gray-Nicolls Viper

Warner with the powerful Gray-Nicolls bat

Grays and Nicolls were two cricketing goods manufacturing companies which merged in 1940 to form Gray-Nicolls. The company is known for using colourful level for the first time on bats. The Viper is of the very highest quality and is a hand finished bat with a thick edge. The company is famous for its unique way of putting tradition and innovation on the same page. Viper comes with a steep spin profile, huge mid-blade, thick edge profile and lightweight pick-up.

Popular players who have endorsed Viper include David Warner, Alastair Cook, Manish Pandey, Alastair Cook, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Cameron White.