p42 :: Sport
Matching a
cricket bat
to a player
The shape of a cricket bat plays an important role in
how it might perform. How should a retailer match
a bat shape to the individual style of a batsman?
CARIN HARDISTY asked some experts to explain.
Photos: NICOL DU TOIT
I
nspired by the tree-trunk sized bats used
by some international players, especially
in the Twenty20’s, young cricketers often
think that the bigger the better when selecting a bat. It is the retailer’s task to
persuade him that a big bat might not improve
his batting average — nor that the lightest bat
on the market will improve the length of time
he’ll stay at the crease.
Cricket bat models have different characteristics for a very good reason: batsmen each have
their own style of play, which should be matched
to the bat that will complement that style.
Some batsmen like to lean in towards the ball
and bowler, others back … some are big hitters,
while others are more controlled and reserved.
The batsman’s batting style plays a large role in
the characteristics of the cricket bat he should
use.
“Players who play predominantly off the front
foot have a tendency to hit the ball lower down
the bat, whereas back foot players tend to hit
the ball higher up the blade,” explains Peter
Wright, MD of Gunn & Moore international,
which is locally distributed by Opal Sports. It is
therefore recommended that a front foot player
use a bat with the middle (or sweet spot) towards the bottom of the blade.
It’s also advisable to recommend a heavier bat
for a front foot player, with the majority of the
weight in the middle area of the bat, says Evert
Ferreira of Brand-ID, local distributor of Slazenger. A heavier bat provides the player with
more power to the shot, which means the ball is
likely to go further, even if the batsman doesn’t
Sports Trader :: 2015 March
Not only does the batsman’s playing style impact on his bat choice, his
playing level will also play
a role in what characteristics he should look for in
his bat
hit the ball in the middle of the bat. The extra weight, however, will likely also result in a
slightly slower reaction speed.
Wright suggests that retailers recommend
a thick edged bat for a front foot player, such
as Gunn & Moore’s Octane and Mogul bats. The
Octane features large contoured edges and a
low middle and the Mogul (used by Sri Lanka’s
Prasanna Jayawadene and Australia’s Shane
Watson) features substantial contoured edges,
a big swell and extended sweet spot.
The more wood there is towards the sides of
the bat, the larger the sweet spot becomes.
Playing on the back foot
A batsman who plays more on his back foot, on
the other hand, would do well with a bat with a
higher middle, because the bat is more likely to
hit the ball higher along the blade.
A retailer should also suggest a lighter bat for a
back foot player. A lighter bat allows for a faster
bat speed, makes the bat more manoeuvrable
than a heavier one and allows for the batsman
to have more control.
Overall, “we would suggest a back footed batsman choose a lighter bat, with a better pick-up
and higher middle,” says Nicola Ludlow of JRT
Crampton, the local Kookaburra distributor.
For a backfoot player who likes to play square
of the wicket, retailers should recommend a bat
with a high swell.
The Slazenger V100 is ideal for players who
demand an ultra-lightweight bat and supreme
balance, says Steve Gallienne of Brand ID. “It
has a concave crafted spine, which ensures
maximum edge thickness and side profiling for
destructive precision.”
Ludlow recommends their Kookaburra Kahuna
(AB de Villiers’ choice) or Verve for a back foot
player. “The Kahuna DNA has a middle sweet
spot (215-235mm from the toe). The Kahuna
Profile is Big Edge Square with edges between
36-40mm and the face of the bat is flat Power
Plus, with a Super Spine of between 62-67mm.”
Gunn & Moore’s Icon (for all-round power hitting) and Six6 (for all-round stroke play) bats
both feature substantial contoured edges. The
Icon has a light pick-up and a high swell position, while the Six6 — used by Joe Root (England) and Joe Burns (Australia) — has an elongated swell height, Powerarc bow and reduced
toe and shoulders.
The Six6 bat can also be recommended for a
touch player, who prefers to make full use of the
pace of the ball.
Batting temperament
A player with a controlled batting style will do
better with a light bat. Recommend a bat to him
Sport :: p43
A stylish stroke player like Hashim Amla can score
off the front as well as back foot with his premium
Player Profile English Willow BAS bat with big edges and 11 straight visible grains.
with a higher sweet spot. The higher sweet spot
means that the weight distribution is also higher
up the blade — and the bat speed is faster. This
type of bat tends to suit a controlled player who
likes to cut, hook and pull. If the player tends
to play the ball late and prefers cut shots, a bat
with a thick blade will suit him.
An aggressive and attacking stroke player
would favour a heavier bat with a lower middle.
A lower middle can affect the pick-up, because
the weight is also nearer to the toe. This type
of bat suits a player who likes driving the ball.
“For the Dominating Stroke player, the V800
fits the profile,” says Gallienne. The V800 is
used by Jacques Kallis, who recently used it in
his Australian appearance.
For the big hitting player who prefers to hit
boundaries, Kookaburra recommends their Onyx
and Bubble bats. “Both bats have despicably
big edges, huge super spines, and are uniquely
designed and sculpted for genuine heavy hitting performances,” says Ludlow. South African
cricketers Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar play
with the Onyx and Bubble respectively.
Gunn & Moore’s Octane, with its thick edges and
low middle, will also suit this power player, as will
Slazenger’s V1200 with its Hex Handle system.
Player’s position
A top order batsman will want a lighter bat as
well as one with a good grain count. “Recommend a bat with a count of 10-15 grains,” suggests Ferreira.
Slazenger offers variable grains across the
V100, V800 and V1200 series of bats.
The more grains the bat has, the better it
will perform from the start. A bat with a narrow grain (higher number of grains) will perform better from earlier on, but its life will be
shorter than that of a wide grain (6 grains or
less) bat. Wider grain wood is not as old, which
means it’s stronger than the narrow grain wood
and is more likely to stand up to the beating of
cheaper quality cricket balls. A bat with a wider
grain will eventually play as well as one with a
narrow grain, but it will take more time.
The grain count can also give an indication
of the bat’s life and have an impact on the vibration. The grain width depends on how fast
the tree has grown and each grain represents a
year’s growth. If the tree was cut after about 18
years the wood will have a wider grain, while a
tree cut after 25 years or more will have a narrower grain.
The new ball usually asks for a faster bat
speed from an opening batsman. It’s best to recommend this player uses a lighter bat which he
can swing faster. The bat therefore helps to contribute to an increased reaction time. A bat with
a higher sweet spot would suit an opening batsman, a player who prefers playing short pitched
bowling, and one who plays off the back foot.
The ball should have lost some of its edge by
the time players three and four in the line-up
get to the crease, which means they should have
a bit more time to react and make their shots
— allowing them the option of using a slightly
heavier bat than their opening team mates.
Similarly, the ball should be softer by the time
the middle order batsman faces it, Ferreira
points out. “Therefore the player needs a bit
more weight in the bat.”
Tail-enders tend to prefer the heavier bats.
With the extra weight of the bat behind his
shot, the batsman doesn’t have to precisely hit
the sweet spot to make a good shot.
Level of player
Not only does the batsman’s playing style impact on his bat choice, his playing level will also
play a role in what characteristics he should
look for in his bat.
If a player is still in primary or junior high
school, the most important aspect is to select
the right size bat, says Ferreira. See Sports
Trader April 2012 p39 for tips on fitting a bat.
“Primary school players should choose a bat
with the lightest possible weight, in a range that
they can afford,” adds Ludlow.
Once the player gets into a senior high school
team, he can start to look at which weight he
prefers, recommends Ferreira.
Another point to remember is that the higher
the level of player, the more frequently he will
be using the bat during practice and matches,
and the higher the quality of bat he’ll need. This
is especially true for players beyond the school
system, who might play for a club or province,
for example.
Pitch impact
Even the pitch that the player will be batting
on can affect the type of bat he chooses. A low
bounce wicket, for example, may suit a bat
with a lower bow and lower middle, To p44
2015 March :: Sports Trader
p44 :: Sport
Left handed top-order batsman Dean Elgar plays
with the Kookaburra Onyx bat, ideal for big-hitters.
Matching bats to players cont from p43
while a harder, bouncier wicket would suit a bat
with a higher middle.
“With cricket being such a global game now,
players will have different bats for different
countries,” says Ferreira. “For example, with
South Africa and Australia having bouncy wickets,
bats used here will be light with the sweet spot
higher up the bat. Sub-continent bats are slightly
heavier with sweet spots lower down the bat, because of the lower bounce on the wickets.”
Twenty20 spawns new bats
Because of the nature of the game, a Twenty20
cricket bat is usually designed for bigger hitting.
“The Twenty20 revolution has evolved the
game and range of shots at awesome speed,”
says Ludlow. “Not all players, however, employ
the same style. The most important factor when
choosing a bat is to ensure that its profile, technical design and weight suits your customer.”
She adds that, in order for a player to maximise
his potential, it is important that he thinks carefully of what he wants from the bat and how he
plays the game.
“If outright performance is vital, your customer should always select a bat with a greater
white to red wood ratio,” Ludlow advises. This
is because the more red in the wood, the harder
and less responsive the bat will be.
“Everyone wants a bigger bat, but with a lighter weight,” adds Richard Gray of Grays International, owners of the Gray-Nicolls cricket brand
that is locally distributed by Leisure Holdings.
A bat with a higher middle tends to pick-up
lighter, because the middle is closer to the hands.
The bat’s bow size can impact the pick-up,
with an increased bow often resulting in a heavier pick-up. If the back of the bat is concaved,
Sports Trader :: 2015 March
it will also improve pick-up. When the spine of
the middle keeps its height, but scoops away on
the sides, the power is kept down the centre
of the bat.
“If a bat has a lower middle it will pick-up
heavier than a bat made with exactly the same
components, but with a middle higher up the
blade,” says Wright.
When designing the shape
we recognise that different batsmen have different techniques, ability,
strength, height and style
“Pick-up in cricket bats is a very interesting
concept,” he continues. “The weight of a handle of exactly the same dimensions can vary
by as much as 3ozs when it is in the bat. A bat
weighing 2lbs 8ozs with a light handle will weigh
2lbs 11ozs with a heavy handle in it. The 3 extra ounces are, however, in the batsman’s hands
and therefore does not feel nearly as heavy as if
the 3 ounces were added to the bottom of the
blade. It is for this reason that over the years we
have always recommended that players should
pick-up a bat before deciding to play with it.
This is not possible when you buy a bat without feeling it — the bat might be the preferred
weight, but not the correct pick-up.”
Bat design impacts play
“Over the years, we have developed many new
cricket bat shapes,” says Wright. “This has been
particularly prevalent since the arrival of our
CNC machine (computer numerical control),
which enables us to replicate shapes extremely
consistently, which is really quite difficult to do
by hand.”
“When designing the shape we recognise that
different batsmen have different techniques,
ability, strength, height and style,” continues
Wright. “With any range we produce, we try to
cover for all these differences by putting more
willow in a bat for strong power hitters and less
in for touch players who prefer to score by using
the pace of the ball.”
There are a number of issues that need to be
taken into account when designing a cricket
bat, Wright points out.
The weight of the bat, for example, can play
a role in how quickly the player is able to react.
• Lighter bat: faster bat speed and increased
reaction time; more manoeuvrability and
control
• Heavier bat: provides more power. “The
weight of the bat is largely determined by the
amount of willow in the blade and its density,” says Wright. “We can control the shape,
but can have little effect on the density of the
willow, apart from ensuring that the moisture
content is as low as possible without making
it too dry and brittle, which will lead to early
breakage. Typically bats will have a 10% moisture content.”
Even the bat handles, which are either round
or oval, will play a role.
An oval shaped handle improves the pick-up of
the bat and gives the player a better directional
feel. It is, however, more difficult to grip hard
and the top hand tends to control the shots.
In turn, the round handle allows the bottom
hand to have more control over the shot. Because of this, a hard-hitting batsman should
rather opt for a round handle.