Do you love to play Cricket? Are you willing to enjoy the game of cricket in a way that will make you happy with the best results? Playing cricket is indeed technical which also requires technical products to get a better result. Professional cricketers such as Batsmen always try to find the best bat for them to give the ball a powerful stroke. Well, if you are learning professional cricket, then it is definitely the time for you to choose bat that will fulfill all your needs. Here is a guide on How to choose a cricket bat which you might follow easily.
Contents
Method 1: Fulfilling your needs
Step 1: Visit a brick-and-mortar store
It is never a necessary that you need to purchase a bat from the nearby store to play a match. Infact, it would be a better idea if you could ask someone experienced about bats. You can easily visit a store which specializes in cricket and then keep a few models in your mind. You can now easily follow it up with some online researches after you hear the recommendations. You can go through ratings, reviews as well as forum comments while researching.
Step 2: Why are you purchasing
One of the key things which you must keep in your mind is the reason why you are looking forward to purchase the cricket bat. If you are taking part in some serious competition and willing to take it as a career, be prepared to invest a higher amount of money for the bat. Select a bat which would be compatible for the hard hitting use. However if serious cricket is not the concern for you, then you can definitely leave out the high-end bats for a better result.
Step 3: The Type of Ball that you Use
If you are looking for some serious action, then the first thing that you need to opt for is the leather based balls. Generally the leather based balls are heavier than the other balls used for the game. To play with a leather based ball, you need to have a bat which has a configuration of giving powerful strokes. Thus a high end bat will be a requirement for your needs. Apart from this, if you are just knocking around with a rubber ball or even a tennis ball, you can easily opt for a bat with casual use.
Step 4: Price
If you are just opting to play cricket for the first time professionally, you can save your bucks and then opt for the lower end models, however for professional cricketers, the choice of a branded bat with a higher configuration is just a must. It is of no use to buy expensive kits for children who have just started playing serious cricket. However, if you are not playing serious cricket and willing to play gully cricket, you can also save up your money for buying a low end bat.
Step 5: Brands
If you are unsure of what to buy being a professional cricketer, then it is the time for you to rely on the experienced man. Ask many people who have been playing cricket over years and what would be his favourite choice of bat. You can also look for online reviews of the bat which has a better configuration to give you the best results. This will help you a lot in selecting the best bats for your needs.
Method 2: Evaluating the Construction of the Bat
Step 1: Choice of Willow
One of the key factors which might come up to your mind is the choice of willows used to make the bat. Generally, there are two different willows used- the Kashmir Willow and also the English Willow. The Kashmir willow is made out of a higher density of wood which makes the bat to be heavy. It is the most ideal bat to choose for beginners as well as power hitters. The prices of the Kashmir Willow Bats are generally on the lower end. The English willow bats are regarded as the best material to buy for the professional cricketers. It is just because that the bat is likely to be springier. Thus, it tends to be very much lighter in weight and also expensive.
Step 2: Grain Lines
The next thing which you need to do is just to focus on the grains. You can see many grain lines running from the top to the bottom of the bat on the front face. The grain lines indicate the durability as well as the playability of the bat. If you are choosing a high end bat, try to opt for bats having grain lines more than two. The more grain lines you have in the bat is the better you can get. Bat with grain lines from six to ten are just considered to be one of the best that you could get.
Step 3: Handle
There is also one more factor by which many players choose their bat, and it is the grip position. A lot of batsmen try to use the bat holding the long handle and placing their gloves at the upper end. This generally helps the bat for a powerful swing. However, any more players try to hold on the top for a stroke shot. So, if you want to go for a bat with better strokes, try to opt for a bat that does not have the handle to be exceptionally long.
Step 4: Damages
Probably one of the most common things which you need to look out for is the damages that are already caused to the bat. Have a very close look to the bottom face of the bat and try to find out minute cracks. You can inspect for the same throughout every corner of the bat for the best results.
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Method 3: Finding the Right Bat
Step 1: Size
If you are playing professional cricket or even for casual fun, the first most important thing that you need to do is to check the size of the bat. However, without proper stunts, it just becomes impossible to check the perfect height of the bat. The one thing that you would easily do is to find online size charts for your bat according to your height. With the reference of your size, you can find which bat would be perfect for you, what would be the perfect width and what would be the length of the bat.
Step 2: Sweet Spot
The Sweet spot is located in that position of the blade where the performance of the swing is maximized. The best bats made from manufacturers are practically engineered to maximize the size of the sweet spot. From the tip of the blade, some people might notice a convex curve expanding the width of the sweet spot. Blades with such a beautiful spot will always help you to perform better and will also get all your needs. The sweet spot of the bat also allows to be spread further across the blade which makes sure that when the ball is about to strike the center of the blade, it can always perform better.
Step 3: Weight
If you are willing to maximize the profile of the bat, then definitely choosing a scallop will be helping you out. The spine generally allows the apex to be extended just without increasing the weight of the bat. One of the major things which to you might always require of is the balance of the weight in the bat. Make sure that the bat is easy for you to lift even without decreasing the mass. This is generally possible because of the choice of willows as well as the scallop. However, picking a bat with comfortable weight will be very important as it will decide the bat lift. The higher your Bat Lift is, the more power you can generate with the swing of the bat.
Step 4: Edge
One of the major factors which should always be in your mind is the edge. The edge of the bat begins from the shoulders and then it maximizes down to the sweet spot. Having a bigger edge might give you typical advantages for playing a stroke shot as it generates a good power to the sweet spot. With a bigger edge, you can be supported by an excellent balance with an extended spot that is covering the width of the blade. However, there must be equilibrium at the edge to get all your needs.
Step 5: Spine
One of the major reasons that you need to find out in your bat is the spine. With the spine, you can also have a good balance of the bat which can be utilized by the bottom hand. Technically, the bats with the best spine have a huge apex which distributes a good power to the sweet spot. If you have a stronger spine in your bat, it will provide an exceptional pickup and will helping your bottom hand for a smooth flow allowing a good power generated to the entire length of the blade.
Step 6: Face of the Bat
When the modern day cricket game comes into feature, the one thing that everybody looks for is the front face of the bat. There are generally two different types of faces which are available- the flat face and also the rounded face. With the Flat Face bat one can see that the face has a level striking area which generally allows the bat to have more mass in the back of the face. This generally helps the players to retain more power from the bat. Apart from this, the rounded face of the bat is generally favored by most of the traditional players. This is simply because of the rounded face gives the bat to be more of a familiar look and also it yields out less expansion.
Step 7: Bow
One of the major factors of the bat is the bow. The bow in most of the bats is highly seen to be starting from the tip of the bat to the end of the toe. Practically designed to enhance the position of the hands, the bow of the bat gives out a significant advantage. Generally the bow is something that you would always require for and it is also essential for a good stroke play. With a convex curve, the bow allows the bat for a better swing and also brings efficient results for the front hand drive shot.
If you are a beginner, and you are still having problems with the choice of bat, you can also opt for pre-treated bats in order to make it for immediate usage.
