Are you considering taking up the sport of cricket? If so, you will definitely need to purchase a couple of items to get going, and one of these items is of course a cricket bat. If you take a look on the Internet you may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options at your disposal. On average, there is approximately 3,000 different cricket bats on the market to select from. Because of this, it is vital to have a method in place to whittle down the options available to you. So, keep reading on to discover the different factors you need to take into consideration.
Material
First and foremost, when it comes to the material of the bat you have two main options to choose from. These are as follows – English willow and Kashmir willow. In terms of quality, the former is always the better option to go for. English willow is a lot softer and you will experience that elusive sweet spot when striking the ball. Nevertheless, Kashmir willow is a lot cheaper, which is why some people are tempted to go down this route. However, be mindful that your performance will suffer as a result.
Weight
There are no guidelines per se when it comes to choosing the right weight. However, it is important to ensure the bat feels comfortable. If you go for anything that is too heavy you are going to struggle to swing the bat effectively. On the other hand, if you opt for a bat that is too light you will fail to generate the right amount of power when hitting the ball. Thus, it is essentially a balancing act.
Reviews
It is always a good idea to read reviews that have been left about a bat, especially when you are buying online. If a bat has a bad reputation this is something you will be able to pick up on with ease and thus you know to opt for something different instead. People are likely to vent their frustration when they have spent money on a product that hasn’t lived up to their expectations and this is something you can benefit from.
Size
Aside from the three points that have already been mentioned, size is another crucial factor. Generally speaking you have the option of going for a short handle (SH) bat or a long handle (LH) bat. The former is designed for those under the height of 6’3”, whilst a long handle bat is designed for people that are taller than this. You can find more specific size graphs online if you need further assistance.
Brand
On a final note, purchasing from a high quality brand always comes highly recommended as you will improve your chances of buying into quality. After all, the best brands in the world of cricket are the best brands for a reason. Thus, some of the options you should be looking out for include the likes of Gunn & Moore, Adidas, Kookaburra, Gray-Nicolls and Millichamp and Hall.
All things considered, if you carefully assess the five points that have been discussed in this post you should have no issue finding the right cricket bat for you. Don’t ignore how important this is, as your choice will of course influence your game. From brand and size, to weight and material, there is certainly a lot to take into account.
Author bio – Jennifer Rogers is a qualified sports journalist with an extensive amount of experience in covering cricket related topics, such as the top ten cricket bats for 2015.
