Every cricketer wants the Best Cricket Bat in their kit bag. Whether you are a buddying cricketer or a professional one, selection of your bat can make a significant impact on your game. Of course skills and years of practice has no alternative, but like every swordsman always has a sword in his armour, cricket bat is an extension of the batsman. As cricket is growing more rapidly than ever, so it the advancement in cricket bats. Manufacturers like GLS Sports continuously innovate to upgrade the quality of bats which allows batsmen to hit the sweet spot with and easily swing through.

If you are looking to buy a cricket bat that suits your game, it is essential to choose the right bat. But, although cricket bats may seem a simple assembly of handle and wooden blade, they come in various forms and profiles. Choosing the incorrect size, weight or willow can impact the game negatively, so to pick the suitable one can be challenging task. This blog will guide you to pick the right bat that perfectly complements your skills and techniques.

Different Types of Cricket Bats

English Willow Cricket Bat

English Willow Bats are the most premium choice for professional cricketers. These are light weight cricket bat with excellent grain structure, are lightweight, and provide great control to generate maximum power and timing. Salix Alba Var Caerulea tree from England is used to attract hardwood for English willow. The dry and cold climate is perfect from the choice of English willow. Despite being a hardwood, it has the properties of softwood. Here are the key features of English Willow:

• Lightweight: The hardwood used in English willow is low in density, therefore it provides lightweight feel to the batter.
• Straight Grain: The wood has straight, dense grain structure with lowest amount of blemishes and therefore best performance.
• Impact Resistance: The diffused porous cell structure of softwood gives excellent shock resistance, resulting in bats to have minimum vibration when balls at high speed hits the bat.
• Ping Effect: The dense grain structure and shock resistance provide great rebound to hit the ball. It generates significant force as if the ball springs from the bat and travels a good distance when you hit the ball.
• Ideal Moisture Content: The English willow has moisture content around 15%, which is considered ideal for batting. Higher moisture content make the bat heavier and therefore affects the swing and balance. Lower moisture content makes the bat brittle and wears out in much less time.

Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat

Kashmir Willow Cricket Bats are preferred by professional cricketers for high power hitting, or to train with tennis balls, or by non-professional cricketers for recreational purposes. Earlier, they were used by beginner or intermediate cricketers, but in modern cricket where batsman do a lot of strength training, the usage of Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat has surged. These bats are also made of Salix Alba Var Caerulea tree, with the difference being region of tree plantation. As the name suggest, Kashmir Willow is made from trees native to Kashmir. These have high moisture content to withstand harsh conditions, making them ideal for long duration of use. Here are some key features:

• Durable: These bats are made of dense wood and can sustain long repeated impact on rough pitches or in local matches where conditions tend to be harsh.
• Heavy Weight: Kashmir willow has higher density and more moisture content than English willow, making it heavier. It is used to translate more power; hence you can use it to practice power hitting.
• Affordable: These wood of Kashmir willow is readily available in Kashmir; therefore, the production cost is low. Affordability makes it ideal for beginners in cricket to train themselves.

Scoop Cricket Bat

In scoop cricket bat, some wood from the center of the spine is removed, reducing the weight of the bat and providing expansive “sweet spot” to the bat. It mostly used as tennis cricket bat in local matches for where hard hitting is more practiced than timing and placement of the ball. However, some renowned professional cricketers have also famously used it in international cricket. These bats can also be customized as double blade scoop cricket bat to by increasing the weight on edge and thickness of spine despite removing the scoops. This is done provide more power hitting capability.

Others

Himanchal Willow Cricket Bat: As the name suggests, these bats are crafted from woods of Himanchal. These are denser than English willow and has more wear bearing capacity. Himanchal willow costs much less than English willow and lasts longer. Therefore, it provides an affordable option for budding cricketers to train themselves.

Plastic Cricket Bat: These are lighter than willow cricket bats, which makes them easier to swing. You can use these for practicing with soft ball. Or in your local street for recreational purpose.

Tips To Choose The Best Cricket Bat

To choose the best cricket bat for your need, it is vital to understand the variety of bats, their features and what is the best way to use them. The manufacturing and design of cricket bats have a number of variables, and each variation has its own purpose.

1.  Weight

The weight of cricket bat impacts the control, balance, and swing of a player. Light Weight Cricket Bat is preferred by professional cricketers for high performance, control and easy swing.

2.  Types of Willow

Willow is a hardwood used in manufacturing of cricket bat and is the most essential part of bat’s structure. It gives stiffness, density, impact resistance and rigidity to the bat. Here the different types of willow used in cricket bats:

• English Willow Cricket Bat
• Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat
• Himanchal Willow Cricket Bat

3.  Sweet Spot

The specific area on the bat where maximum power and minimum vibration is generated is often termed as “sweet spot”. As you know the bat has a striking front face and a spine on the back to concentrate the weight of bat the most on the center. The spine profile and the distance from the top of blade decides the sweet spot of a bat.

• When the sweet spot is closer to the top of blade, it means the bat has high sweet spot and it is used by batsmen who play on backfoot to pull or hook the ball on pitches with high bounce.
• When it is closer to the toe, it is referred as low sweet spot and is preferred to play on low bounce pitches to drive the ball.
• The central sweet spot is ideal for most pitches and generates maximum power and control.
• Some bats have some scoops of wood removed from the center of the back, called Scoop Cricket Bat. In these bats, the sweet spot gets enlarged, which means slightly off-center timing or mishits can also generate enough power to hit the ball to the boundary. Scoop bat is mostly used as tennis cricket bat.

4.  Material

Cricket bats are generally made of wood and plastics. Professional cricket only allows usage of professional grade willows, while plastic bats are used for recreational purposes in tennis ball cricket. Professional cricketers also use plastic bats for training purposes.

Best Cricket Bat Manufacturer

Now that you are aware about the various types and quality parameters of cricket bat, you must be have gained clear idea about which bat you should choose. Many manufacturers promise best cricket bat of high quality at cheap prices, only to disappoint after few days of usage. Hence, choosing a reliable manufacturer cannot be overlooked. GLS Sports is a leading Cricket Bats Manufacturers in India. Crickets bats by them are offered in all types to cater to diverse needs and are designed by innovative solutions which results in high performance that were unimaginable few decades back. Besides, they are available at competitive prices. Meeting the rising demands of various cricket bats, GLS Sports have managed to cater to their wide and evolving customer base.