Cricket Bats

Part 2 - Getting your bat, ready for battle.

Congratulations. After dilly-dallying for 45 minutes at the store, playing some great drives and pull shots, you finally chose a bat just right for you, and your budget. Hmm, the wood smells, nice and fresh, doesnt it? And I bet, you must be raring to have a go with your brand new bat.

Well, choosing a bat right for you, and buying it, is only half the work. The other half goes into getting your bat ready to play aka 'knocking'.

Nowadays, a lot of manufacturers, sell bats that are ready to use. But I have done enough research to suggest what has been suggested around - knock it anyway.

Getting your bat ready, is atleast a one week process, so be prepared to spend that much time.

The things that you will need to do that :-

• Fine sand paper
• Linseed oil
• Wooden mallet (you could also use a ball mallet, but I prefer a wooden mallet)
• Cotton Rag
  

Its a 3 step process, spread over that period (ofcourse, you can also get it done in a day or two, if you have nothing else to do for two days)

And this will also be a right place for me to clear some of the misconception about linseed oil and the wonders it does to the 'drive' of a bat.

Linseed oil, by itself does not increase the stroke or drive of your bat. The only purpose of linseed oil, is, to soften the fibres of wood, so that when you knock your bat, its easier, and the knocking period is shorter. That's all. Finito. I've heard stories of people soaking the bottom of the bat, in a saucer of linseed oil, over night, and that it had helped the drive of the bat. I dont understand how that would have been possible, but one thing is for sure - it would have permanently damaged the bat, or atleast shortened its life by a great deal.

Step 1 - Oiling

Note: Whatever is being said here, is only for the front face and edges of the bat, not the rear, the bottom (toe), nor shoulders of the bat.

Use the sand paper to roughen the surface of the bat.

Now, using a cotton rag, apply a thin layer of linseed oil on the surface, and on the edges. (Keep this rag, dont throw it away) The oil should not be too little, but it should not be too much either, such that it flows down the sides. Take care, not to apply oil around the sluice - the area where the handle meets the blade. This will damage your bat.

Lay the bat down horizontally and let the oil soak overnight.

Now, using the same rag, that you used the previous night, apply another coat of oil on the bat. Do not add any more oil to the rag, just use whatever is left in it. This will most likely result in just a very thin layer of oil on the bat. Its fine.

Let the oil soak overnight again.

Step 2 - Knocking

Now comes the most laborious part.

You are going to annoy a lot of people with this constant knocking, so do whatever you have to do to not make them unhappy.

Using the bat mallet, knock the bat, somewhere around the middle, a little forcefully. This should result in a well defined dent on the face of your bat. Now knock around this dent, gently, and along the face of the bat. This gentle knocking, should be a good few hours worth. Atleast 2.

Now your bat is ready to be really knocked. Knock your bat, a little more forcefully now, starting around the dent you made initially. The idea behind the dent is, that is how much your bat should actually be knocked, such that you dont see the dent at all.

As the hours progress, maybe 2 hours of slightly forceful knocking, increase the strength on the blows. Knock harder now.

Edges:

Edges require a slightly different technique in knocking. The should not be knocked at 90 degree angle, like the rest of the bat. This will damage your bat. The edges should be knocked at a 45 degree angle.

The edges require special care, and they need to be knocked in as well.
Using the mallet, do the same 'hard first knock' routine, at both the edges, that it produces a dent there too. Now, gently knock the edges, until the dent is not seen or felt anymore.

After another couple of hours, using a finger nail, press it down on the face of your bat. If it leaves a pretty well defined mark, then your bat is not ready yet. The fibres are still soft. It needs more knocking.

But after 6 hours of knocking, a bat should generally be ready. But still, check it out.
Use an old ball at first, and have someone throw it at you. Knock the ball around with your bat. Continue doing this for a maybe around 20 or 30 throws.

Now, get back to knocking, and spend about atleast an hour more. Remember to knock the edges as well. Now do the finger nail check. Then, this time, have someone bowl at you, with an old ball. Play a few overs. By now, you will have a good idea if your bat is ready or not. If it doesnt feel ready yet, then go back to the knocking routine.

If you are an opener, then, you need to repeat the knocking and bowling routines a few more times, before your bat is ready to face a hard new ball.

This is indeed a lot of work, but its a kind of work, that will pay off rich dividends much later. Your bat will not only produce more runs for you (a well knocked bat, can make a difference between a 4 or a 6), but it will also make sure that your bat lasts a longer time.

Now soldier, you are finally ready for battle.