The summer has just rolled in and the mood in the dressing room is feverish, almost palpable. You are just about to walk into the middle and the team is in desperate need of runs. You take a look at your bat, take a dutiful feel of the flat surface and the only question on your mind is whether the bat is good enough to last a long innings. Well, the answer to that lies in bat selection, oiling and knocking. After all is said and done your prowess and skill as a cricketer are somewhat futile if your cricket apparel is not carefully chosen. The number of runs you score in the middle owe much of their longevity to the bat you choose, whether it is oiled properly and how well it has been knocked after you have purchased it.
Bat Selection: A Tale Of Two Choices
The popular phrase ‘a bad workman always blames his tools’ does not always find application in cricket circles for the simple reason that at times the bat you choose can impact negatively on your performance. Generally cricket bats come in the different shape profiles: high profile, medium profile and low profile. Bat profile basically means the side view that you see when a bat is placed on the ground flat of its face. The high profile bat has an elevation that stretches from the bottom of the bat to the spine, receding continuously to the spine. High profile bats are mostly suited for back foot players who like to hook and pull. If hooking is your forte then you will know that you need to have a bat that gives you adequate control and consistent strength on the pull or hook, otherwise the ball will not carry as far as intended and you will get caught out most of the time. On the other hand a medium profile bat has an elevation that does not stretch as far back to the spine. Unlike a low profile bat that has a short elevation and is preferred by front foot players, the medium profile bat is for the versatile and balanced batsman who is comfortable on both the front foot and the back foot, seeing that the side view elevation ends somewhere between the middle of the bat and the spine.
The Process of Oiling And Knock Some Sense In
A passing note on oiling and knocking is crucial for these processes ensure that your bat is durable enough to withstand cracking. Not only are these processes necessary to ensure that the small grains of the willow are compressed into each other, but no matter how good a bat is it will disintegrate if you do not do so.
