How Do You Choose A Cricket Bat?

Which bat should you choose? When do you decide to buy a new bat? Cricket bats are available in many shapes and sizes, so to find the perfect bat for your game, it's useful to know how to choose one. 

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A cricket bat for a Cricket kit bag must be stiff and lightweight, so it can hit the ball but not get away from your grip too easily. A heavy or thick-bodied cricket bat is usually undesirable as these bats take too much energy for their weight, leaving your arm worn out by the end of a small game. 

 

For best performance, look for a well-balanced blade made of maple split into three segments with a deep notch along its length.

 

Type of Willow:

Let's begin with the variety of willow (wood). English (White) Willow and Kashmir Willow are the two most prevalent varieties of willow used for manufacturing cricket bats. Willow is the only wood capable of providing the necessary strength and compression for a cricket bat. There are significant performance differences between the two varieties of willow. 

 

First, English Willow trees are cultivated in England, while Kashmir Willow is cultivated in the Kashmir region of northwestern India. The Players Grade English Willow used to make cricket bats is visually distinct from the Kashmir willow used to make bats. 

 

The English willow is white, but the Kashmir willow is brownish. Kashmir willow bats are heavier and more affordable than English willow bats. Kashmir Willow bats do not 'ping' like English willow bats, and junior cricketers surely do not get value for their shots.

 

Weight

The weight of a cricket bat is crucial and can significantly affect a player's performance. Young players will find it difficult to lift and swing a heavy bat, limiting their ability to execute horizontal blade strokes such as the cut and pull. 

 

Senior players make the same error, and you should never purchase a bat without the player picking it up. Bats may weigh the same, but depending on the curvature of the blade, they can pick up extremely differently. Senior bats can weigh between 2lb 6ozs and 3lb 2ozs on average.