Shaped something like a paddle, cricket bats are traditionally made of English willow. Light in weight while also tough and shock resistant, willow resists denting or splintering on impact with a ball travelling at high speed. After striking the ball, the batter can score runs for his or her team.
Making cricket bats has been a special skill since cricket began. The finest bats are made from white English willow (Salix alba coerulea) preferably grown in Essex or Suffolk, where the climate and conditions produce wood renowned for its consistent and narrow grain, its density and colour.
Handle – made from strips of cane interspersed with strips of rubber to give strength and cushion impact for the batter
Shoulder – a ‘dead’ area of the bat blade not favoured by batters to strike the ball
Blade – gives the overall batting surface weight and strength
Toe – curved to prevent the blade edge ‘catching’ the pitch during a stroke
New bats often carry the instruction to ‘knock in’ before use. Knocking in, or tapping the batting surface with a ball or special mallet, compacts the fibres in the blade to protect the bat from cracking or snapping. Many manufacturers advise knocking in for around three to six hours before play.
While the size, shape and materials of standard cricket bats are closely regulated; there are many regional variations. This bat from Western Samoa is made of palm tree wood bound with a coarse cord.
This hand-made bat and tennis ball were being used by street children outside the M. Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bangalore, India in July, 2010. A group of 15-20 boys, all shoeless, were playing cricket in the empty compressed earth car-park immediately outside the ground. One of the boys’ father’s, a carpenter, had made the bat specifically for his son and his friends. The ball appears to have been modified by wearing away two sides to assist it swing in the air. This bat was donated by Abhay Mehta, 2010.