11wickets_fantasy_cricket_image_of_blog_about_History_of_Cricket_Bats

History of Cricket Bats

Hello cricket crazy fans! Yes we know that online fantasy cricket game doesn’t have any use of the real cricket bats.  But when you are a cricket fan, you must know about all its history. Don’t you believe so? What will happen when a kid who is just developing a keen interest in cricket and ask you where the cricket bats came originated.  

While making your fantasy league, read the history of cricket bat and know about it. 

Ours is a cricket obsessed nation. What can we say about cricket? It would not be wrong if we say that cricket is a religion in India. Rightly so, isn’t it? You might have been a part of the mass hysteria that occurs when a cricket match is played. How many of you have gone crazy when your favourite cricketer has wielded the bat and smashed the ball to hit a six? How many have held the desire to hold the bat and play for the nation? With online fantasy cricket games, you can play the game now though.  

History and Some Interesting Facts about Cricket Bats 

  • Cricket bats were originally shaped like hockey sticks. But some changes in the game of cricket prompted changes in the shape and size of cricket bat. 
  • Australian cricketer, Dennis Lillee, used an aluminum bat in a match in 1979. But the timely intervention of the umpires forced him to change to a wooden bat. Thus was born the rule that, only made of wood is to be used in a match. 
  • Kookaburra, an Australian sports equipment manufacturing company came out with a fiber-reinforced strip along the spine of the bat for its durability. Australian cricketer, Ricky Ponting, used this for the first time in 2005 against the English team. But such type of bat was subsequently banned by the ICC because it felt that the bat gave undue advantage to the batsman and not all players could afford such bats. 

Numerous such slight variations in the bats have followed since and some were for pure marketing gimmicks. Some alterations have been implemented though. 

Some FAQs while Buying Cricket Bats 

  • What should the size of the bat be? According to the rules of the cricket law, the bat’s height should not be more than 38 inches and width shouldn’t be more than 4.25 inches. 
  • What should be the weight of a cricket bat? Bats should weigh around 1.2 to 1.4 kilos, though there is no specific rule which states the ideal weight of a cricket bat. Some cricketers are comfortable using heavy bats. 
  • What type of wood is used in a cricket bat? Bats are typically made of two types of wood. One is the English willow and the other is the Kashmir willow. Bats made from Kashmir willow needs hours of knocking so that the fibres of the wood compress and come together to get the perfect knock. And then is the oiling process which is done to ensure that the bats become durable. Kashmir willow bats are in demand in India and South Asian countries, whereas the English willow bat is famous worldwide. 

Happy reading!