How to Pick the Perfect Cricket Bat? Bat that makes you feel like a complete batsman!
Getting a perfect cricket bat can be bit tough and tricky unless you follow the right steps correctly as follows:
1.
Balance matters the most. Without too much fuss check bat balance first. If balance fits
your style, then look at the bat weight.
a.
Ideal bat weigh for adults is
1135grams to 1170grams.
i.
Each player may have their
preference on bat weights.
1.
Cricket bat weights are
categorized in three weight range: light, medium or heavy bats.
a.
1100 grams to 1145 grams –
Lightweight.
b.
1146 grams to 1180 grams –
Medium.
c.
1181 grams and up is – Heavy.
b.
Each player may have their own
specific preference of bat balance and sweet spot.
i.
Sweet spot is the front playing
area and exactly in opposite back side it has highest spine height.
1.
Higher middle sweet spot
2.
Mid to low sweet spot
3.
Lowe sweet spot
4. Extended sweet spot
2.
Performance of the bat i.e. ping/punch/rebound.
a.
In general, higher the spine i.e.
more wood results in better rebound.
b. How to know if bat performs well, tap a ball or a mallet on the bat and check the rebound or check old style way of tapping your index fingernail on the bat willow to see if you can hear very sweet sound of the willow in extended part of the bat.
3.
Willow clefts from which bats
are made, come in various willow grade and primarily two type of willow
density. Majority of willow are dense willow from which bats are made however
one rare willow type is less dense willow, which are larger clefts and weighs
same as regular dense willow clefts. From such larger clefts big bats are made
for professional players who like more wood but likes to play with lightweight
bats. Let me be very clear saying that there is no major difference in
performance between the two, less dense or dense willow. It’s just that bats get bigger with less
dense willow and allows more wood behind the ball eventually giving somewhat
little better punch when ball hits the bat. End of the day, a good player will
score with any bat.
a.
Willow Grade
i.
Grade A+ / Players Grade
ideally made from less dense willow.
1.
Most international players use
this type of willow.
ii.
Grade A or Grade 1 willow.
1.
Most international and
first-class level players play with such willow grade.
iii.
Grade 2 Willow
1.
District level or State level
cricketers play with such willow grade.
iv.
Grade 3 Willow
1.
Local club level players
ideally play with such willow grade.
v.
Grade 4 Willow
1.
Academy or School level players
vi.
Grade 5 Willow
1.
Ideal for new players who are
budge conscious or using as team bat.
vii.
Grade 6 Willow
1.
Practice bats, team bats, or
heavy tennis ball bats.
Above willow
grade pricing varies from brand to brand and it all boils down to what one can
afford and one cannot. With that said, lower grade bats do sometime have same
characteristics as higher-grade bats and do perform very similar.
4. Blade width: Ideal cricket bat blade width for an adult bat - 106mm to 107mm. Try not to settle on bat that has less than 105mm blade width.
5.
Grains: 8-10 equidistance, parallel rural straight grains with grade A/A+
or 1 willow are best.
a.
Clean willow
b.
Ruler straight grains, going
from front, toe and back.
c.
Equidistance grains in front,
toe and back
Don’t spend too much time on number of grains, if bat is giving you your expected punch, that is all it matters. Number of grains are more cosmetic and adds price. More close grains bats tend to delaminate and or splice or breaks fast vs 8-10 grains bats.
6.
Bat handle shape – pick handle type suits you well and that you are used to playing
with.
a.
Oval – Less likely that bat
will rotate in your hand and help provide direction.
b.
Round – Likely that the bat
will rotate in your hand after hitting the ball.
c. Semi-Oval – mix of above two, we see this being used a lot in new format games.
7. Moisture content: 10% to 12% in a bat – not all shops will have moisture meter so it is hard to see but one can with experience know if bat is dry or has required moisture level.
8. Brand: It’s a preference that an individual player may have. Majority of good English Willow clefts are distributed from UK to various brands around the world. Clefts from UK are best for leather ball cricket and are heavily used by most branded and non-branded bat makers. The only thing that will vary is how are these bats made and who makes it because each brand may have their preference on bat shapes and willow pressing. Bat craftsmanship wins the race if all goes well for a particular brand, it becomes a success mantra for such brands. They don’t change the bat process however keeps introducing new shape or bat stickers year after years.
9. Very important to know – These days very few willow growers dry the cleft naturally i.e. let it seat for a year in open warehouse allowing it to air-dry and are rather dried in the kiln. This process takes 2-3 weeks for cleft to dry and are pulled out when minimum required moisture level is obtained and are sent for bat making. With introduction of shorter format games, demand has surge and so has technology.
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