When I took it out of the box I was gobsmacked and not just how big this thing is, but how beautiful it is – the finishing is stunning and the quality of the timber is top class – It’s got 15 straight grains that go straight through the bat with half of the heartwood on the inside edge for me.

Weighing 2.12 on the nose including scuff and double thickness chevron, the pickup really is superb – I know a lot of people do like to use the whole ‘it picks up much lighter than it’s weight’ line but it’s definitely true with this bat.

The handle is a reassuringly full oval too which stops the bottom hand from taking over too much – make no mistake this is a bat for scoring quickly but I still play proper cricket shots with it, and you get full value for them.

The thing is a massive piece of wood with 45mm edges, 25mm toe and 18mm shoulders – the concaving is minimal and the spine isn’t very big at all – 58-59mm but the playing area is simply huge and the ping is first class – have just started knocking in with a mallet and I’m seriously excited about using this bat this season, the confidence just looking down at this thing when tapping up is awesome.

Anyone looking for a t20 bat or simply a big bat to smash the ball around – you won’t go wrong with one of these, and Tai’s a top guy to deal with too!