My new cricket bat (Malik Tiger)!!!

(All photos courtesy Chris Valentine: http://met.open.ac.uk/group/cpv/index.html)

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I recently bought a new cricket bat of the Malik MB brand, and its an absolute beauty!!! I must say that I still haven't used it properly because my cricket bat is still in the process of knocking in (http://www.middlepeg.com/cricketbatcare.htm) and will be ready in about a week's time.

One of the main reasons why a new cricket bat needs knocking in is because cricket bats are made from a fairly soft and fibrous material called willow or Salix Alba Caerulea. With cricket balls being delivered like missiles at up to 90mph against your cricket bat it is obviously advisable to prepare your blade so as to achieve optimal performance, resistance and longevity. This process is refered to as Knocking or Running your cricket bat in.


Another important thing some of you have noticed by looking at the photos of the bat is an unusual curvature of the blade of a cricket bat. Following are some of the crucial reasons why the cricket bat has a curvature: a) the size and shape of the bat is selected by a batsman according to the batting position he is going to play in the batting order. At the top of the order, the batsman has to face a ball which is new and coming more quickly in comparison to the batsmen who are batting down the batting order (i.e. 4 down and below). As a result, the batsmen who are batting at top of the order need faily straight face which allows them to cut and drive the ball with relatively less effort, but the batsmen who are batting lower down the order need more power to hit the ball and the curvature of the bat gives higher trajectory to the cricket ball, after batsmen hit the ball in th air, b) curvaure of the bat also helps to reducie the impact at which a cricket bat hit against the relatively static physical body, i.e. cricket bat. This is very important because a cricket ball travels throught the air at a speed of about 85-90 mph, and by the time it reaches the batsman after colliding with a ground the speed drops to 70-80 mph. However, even the speed of 70-75 mph is relatively high for a cricket bat which is not travelling at that speed, and the curvature of a bat absorbs more impact, in comparison to the bats which have relatively straight face.

Finally, the bats manufactured in India or in Pakistan usually have a higher curvature and extended sweet spot (this portion produces maximum stroke after hitting a cricket ball), mainly because the cricket pitches in subcontinent are relatively flatter in comparison to the pitches in England, Australia, etc. and therefore the ball stays low. The thicker size of the blade, and an extended sweet spot of a bat allows a batsman to hit a ball with relatively comformtable power and generates high punch with less vibrations generated throughout the body of a bat.

Currently I am in a process of oiling my Tiger and the oiling of my bat will complete by Sunday, and then I will start knocking my bat for another 4-5 days in order to be ready for next Saturday when the nets for this season starts.


Cheers
Dnyanesh