Bat Care
At World Class Willow we advise the following to ensure your bat is maintained in order to prolong its life.
- Store your bat in a dry, cool environment avoiding excessive heat, damp or cold.
- Ensure that your bat has been knocked in properly (see below).
- Avoid unnecessary or aggressive ‘tapping’ of the bat, particularly on hard or excessively wet pitches.
- If your bat becomes unavoidably wet, allow it to dry naturally and seek advice if swelling occurs.
- Only use your cricket bat against balls specifically designed for cricket and avoid use against cheap balls which are often unusually hard and have pronounced seams.
- Avoid facing brand new and cheap balls in the nets.
- The use of a bat cover when not playing will help protect your bat from unnecessary wear and tear.
- The use of a scuff sheet, edge tape and a toe guard are likely to help prolong the life of your bat.
Knocking In
Knocking in is a vital step in preparing your new cricket bat. It helps to prevent cracks and improve the performance and size of the middle.
- Begin the knocking in process using a hardwood bat mallet, an old ball is acceptable but will not prove as efficient.
- Start with the face of the bat by hitting the middle just hard enough to create a small indentation.
- The indentation can be seen by holding the bat up to a light. Continue until all indentations have blended across the face of the bat up to the edges and down to the toe of the blade.
- To knock in the edges strike them at 45 degrees just hard enough to make a small indentation and continue until there is a smooth rounded appearance and it blends into the face.
- Do not use the mallet on the back of the bat.
- Do not hit the edge of the bat at 90 degrees as this is likely to increase the chance of cracking.
*Please note that damage cannot be entirely eliminated due to the hard nature of the balls and its contact with a moving bat