Mowbray’s former Australian captain has risked upsetting the likes of compatriot David Warner by suggesting that bats made of denser wood are giving an unfair advantage.

Ponting plans to raise the matter when he attends the MCC world cricket committee meeting at Lord’s next week.

“I only get worried when they are really big and really light,” the 41-year-old said at the Australian Cricket Society’s annual dinner.

“If you are strong enough to use them that’s fine, but you should not get a bat that’s bigger in size than [MS] Dhoni’s but a whole lot lighter.

“Everyone talks about Chris Gayle’s bat size, but it’s 3½lbs. He’s big enough and strong enough to use it.”

Ponting’s concern is the ability to produce bats with thicker edges but no additional weight.

Despite a 2014 MCC report finding that bat thickness had increased by nearly 300 per cent over the past century, the World Cricket Committee decided against introducing restrictions.

But Ponting believes it is necessary for the longest format of the game.                  

“I don’t mind it for the shorter versions of the game. I would actually say you’ve got a bat you can use in Test cricket and a certain type of bat you can use in one-day cricket and T20 cricket. 

“The short forms of the game survive on boundaries — fours and sixes — whereas the Test game is being dominated too much now by batters because the game is a bit easier for them than it was.”

In other Tasmanian cricket news, Tigers captain George Bailey has debuted for his fourth English county championship side.

The former South Launceston batsman made 62 for Middlesex in the Division 1 fixture against Yorkshire at Scarborough.

Bailey has also played for Scotland, Hampshire and Sussex as well as representing three different teams in the Indian Premier League and two in the Big Bash.

Ironically, he was caught by former Hobart Hurricanes teammate Tim Bresnan.