At World Cup 2015, Valley hopes its willow will be in great demand

What they are looking for is “phenotypically better looking trees”, which will be nurtured in lab conditions to assess their suitability for making the best cricket bats. They will choose trees with wood that’s fibrous and soft, straight-grained and blemish-free.

English willow, which costs ten times more than the Kashmiri variety, is used for making Grade I and Grade II bats, used for international and first-class cricket. Kashmir willow bats are considered Grade III, suited only for club-level and beginners’ cricket.

But the Kashmir willow is of the same genus and species as the English variety — Silex alva.

“It’s a myth that the willow is different,” says Dr Manzoor Ahmad Khan, professor and head of the forestry department at SKUAST. “In England, only the better quality trees are propagated. In Kashmir the tree is allowed to grow at random.”

He and his team of scientists hope to change this through selective breeding. The right willows been found in Kupwara, Anantnag, and Baramulla districts. Sixty samples are being grown at the SKUAST’s nurseries.

“Five or six samples are showing promise,” says Khan. “We will grow them and try and get the best sample. We can then distribute them for widespread cultivation.” This could take some eight years. And a willow must be at least 15 years old before it can be used for bats, so this is a long-term project.

Says N A Salroo, president of the Bat Manufacturers’ Association, Bijbehara, “We don’t know which willow to use. Otherwise we can ensure our bats are in no way inferior. We just need a little technical support, and we’ll be the best.”