While the ICC Men's World Cup 2023 marks the first time the marquee cricket tournament will be hosted entirely by India, in what comes as a big news ahead of the competition, Kashmir willow bats are also set to make an official apperance in the tournament for the first time ever with 17 International Cricketers set to use bats made from that willow in the prestiguous event. It is being reported that bats manufactured by GR8 Sports, which is a company in the Sangam area of Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district will be used by players of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The same has been confirmed as per a report carried by news agency ANI who has quoted the owner of GR8 Sports Fawzal Kabeer. "The reputation of our crafted bats soared even higher after UAE's Junaid Siddiqui, using one of our bats, smashed the longest six of 109 meters during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match against Sri Lanka in Australia," Kabeer stated as quoted in the same report.

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It is pertinent to note that this particular bat manufacturer happens to be the only one from Jammu and Kashmir which has earned an approval from the international cricket council. The company received this approval on July 7, 2021.

"We're hopeful that our bats will set new records. Our desire is for players using our bats to score abundant runs, hitting numerous sixes and fours in every match," he added.

The ODI World Cup 2023 is set to commence on October 5 with 2019 finalists England and New Zealand set to take on each other in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The venue, known as the world's largest cricket facility, will host some of the most high-profile fixtures in the tournament including the India vs Pakistan fixture on October 14 as well as the final on November 19.