Making a Perfect Cricket Bat - from choosing the cleft to finishing a perfect blade.

by The Play Makers

Let’s talk about the Cricket Bats and the whole process of making a perfect one. Let's slide into the main content.

Bat is the true companion of a batsman who works with him through thick and thin and clears the route to success. Bat is a marvelous tool using which a Batsman creates his own legacy in the cricket world. From the game perspective as well, the quality of the bat and the skills of the player combined play an important role in the impact of the innings which decides the result of the game.

This is why a cricket bat needs to be perfect and absolute, personalized according to the requirements of the Batsman.

  1. Selection of the wood.

The wood of willow trees is primarily the major type of wood used in making cricket bats. English Willow is taken to be the best quality raw material for the Clefts to Blades. There are various Qualities of English Willow on the basis of standards of the expertise.

 

Grade 1:

This is the best blade that money can buy. There are no specific rules as to what makes a grade 1 blade, but it is generally accepted that the face should have at least four visible straight grains. There might be minimal heartwood (red-colored timber which comes from the center of the tree). Although there might be the odd small knot on the edge or back, the playing area should be clean. It must be noted that these slight imperfections in the willow will not necessarily hinder performance. On average most Grade 1 bats have between 6-12 nice straight grains.

Grade 2:

This is also another good quality blade. Occasionally there can be slightly more redwood, but again it won’t affect playing performance. There should be at least 4 straight grains on the face of the bat with maybe some blemishes, pin knots, or “speck” available.

Grade 3:

A highly popular value for money graded willow. There should be a minimum of 4 straight grains which may not always be perfectly straight. Again, this is purely cosmetic & has no bearing on the performance of the bat. Small knots or a little “butterfly” stain may be present with perhaps more prominent speck. With the right press and handcrafting, our bat maker will ensure that your Grade 3 bat will be optimized to give you maximum performance.

Grade 4:

The Grade 4 blade will normally have over half of the bat colored with redwood or have a butterfly stain. It can be bleached to make it look more aesthetically pleasing, but it will still play as well as the other grades. The butterfly stain normally symbolizes that the willow is very strong and therefore should last slightly longer. There could also be more “speck”

 

  1. Cutting the wood into its known bat shape and Size

 

  • Number 5: 27 inches or 68.5 CMs ideal for players under 8 years age
  • Number 6: 31.5 inches or 80.1 CMs ideal for players between 8 -15years age or adult players between 140 cms to 165 cms tall. (Also call Size harrows)
  • Short Handle: 33.5 inches or 85.10 CMs ideal for players between 167 cms to 189 cms tall (also call ICC level full-size bat)
  • Long Handle: 35.5 inches or 90 CMs ideal for players above 192 cms tall

 

  1. Compression of the wood.

The cleft is compressed by the press or iron scraps in order to strengthen the willow fibers, this helps the bat to have a longer life and prevents cracks and breaks. A hard-pressed players grade willow at the playmakers has the best PING once can ever hear. Do check out our ping videos

 

  1. Handle making.

The handle stands as an important part of the bat as it determines how strong a swing will be. Consequently, the handle should be as comfortable as possible on the grip and prevents the batsman from getting shocks due to the high speed of the ball. It is made of leather strips and canes. Following the pasting of these strips with glue, the handle is laminated as a whole.

Now, the lower part of the handle is cut into a wedge shape, which will subsequently be carved into the blade of the bat. At playmakers, we use 9 pieces Singapore cane handle in our player's grade willow.

 

  1. Blade carving

The blade is the most important part of the bat it has a flat striking face and Ridged back. The topmost ages of the blade I known as the shoulders of the bat and the bottom-most part of the breed is known as the Toe. The elongated lines on the striking face of the blade I known as the Grains.

 

  1. Polishing of the bat.

After carving the blade, the sandpaper is used to smooth the texture of the bat.

The process is done to ensure the durability of the bat and to give it an attractive look. This was the last step of making a perfect bat and your finished end product is ready. 

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