Cricket Bats
Cricket Bats come in different international sports brands available in most sports shops. Some of the major cricket bat brands are Slazenger, Adidas, Kookaburra, Puma, Gunn & Moore, Nike, Oakley, Prostar, Asics, Aero, Sunwise. There are junior cricket bats that are meant for cricket players of height of up to 1.68 metres & below. These junior bats come in size 0 to size 6, and size Harrow.
A junior cricket bat is priced approximately SGD$80 to $150. Full sizes cricket bats can cost as much as a few hundred dollars.
Tips for chooisng a Cricket Bat
Other than choosing the right bat size and bat weight to suit your body height & weight, there are also other things you should look out for when buying a cricket bat.
A good cricket bat should have smooth & thick edge, with high swell position, with a pronounced concave profile, and end with a substantial toe. It should also have a good grip with your hands, with an oval-shaped handle for optimal grip and control.
Cricket Bat Care Tips
Cricket Bats are made from wood, and wood fibres loosen up over time, making your bat porous and brittle, easily damaged by the impact of a strong coming cricket ball. One very basic but useful tip to prevent this is to use an old ball or bat mallet to knock the bat. This process is called “knocking in”. Use an old ball to hammer it gently, particularly at areas of the bat where the cricket ball usually hits, such as the edges & the toe, making them harder to withstand the impact of cricket balls. A few hours should be spent in the knocking in process, this will help to compress the wood fibres and help them get knitted together so they are able to brace against stronger impact of cricket balls better.
In order not to allow your bat to dry out and becoming brittle, cricket bats are best stored away from sun, and kept in enclosed space. A common negligence by many players is to store their cricket bats in their car boot, when parked under the sun constantly, can dry out the bats.
On the flip side, some players tend to rest their cricket bats on the toe area on wet grounds, or damp turf areas. When moisture seeps through the toe and travels up the bat, the cricket bat will swell at the toe area, causing the profile of the bat to warp. In this situation, leave the bat to dry naturally, and then use an old ball to knock in gently at the swollen area to prevent future cracking.
To prevent the same thing from happening, you can choose either to oil the toe, or to apply sealant on it to prevent water seepage. You may also apply a toe guard on the bat before using it.