Your Personal Guide to Cricket Bat Sizes
Cricket Bat Sizes Guide
Your Personal Guide to Cricket Bat Sizes
Are you asking yourself “what cricket bat size is right for me?” Good, because it is a very valid question. In fact, being in-the-know with cricket bat sizes and selecting the right one is one of the most important purchasing decisions when it comes to buying a cricket bat.
Choosing the correct cricket bat size is of paramount importance because it heavily impacts on the way you play, your freedom of movement and your range of shots. There are also some health and safety factors to take into account. All will be revealed here.
This cricket bat size guide will explain, in detail, both senior cricket bat sizes and junior cricket bat sizes, as well as those specially crafted to suit women, teenagers and adults of a smaller stature.
Construction of a Cricket Bats: In Brief
Before you learn more about cricket bat sizes, it is worth knowing the elements that make-up a cricket bat.
The blade of a cricket bat is a wooden block, typically made by English willow and Kashmir Willow, which has many different grades available to consumers, that is generally flat on the striking face (though some have rounded edges) and with a ridge on the back, which provide ammunition to the hitting zone in the middle of the bat. Generally speaking, the laws dictate that the length of a cricket bat may be no more than 38 inches (96.5cm) and the width no more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm).
A cricket bat is typically protected and preserved with linseed oil, while the quality of the willow and grain structure will determine its durability, toughness, shock-resistance, power and power-to-pick-up ratio (its balance), the amount of blemishes or splintering, and its overall capability of impacting a cricket ball at high speed. The blade of the cricket bat is connected to a long cylindrical cane handle by means of a splice, with a rubber grip applied to the handle. Handle lengths vary. let’s tackle the key question: what cricket bat size is right for you?
Short Handle (SH) Cricket Bats
The most common adult cricket bat size, at both club level and international level, is Short Handle, typically abbreviated to “SH”. All adult cricket bats should be available in this size – if not, the manufacturer has missed a trick!
A short-handle cricket bat is generally the preferred option for men that stand at 5ft 9ins to around 6ft – a category that the majority of the male population fall into. The total length of the handle is approximately 85cm (approx. 33 inches).
If you consider yourself being at a fairly average height or it is your first adult cricket bat, we would highly recommend that you choose a short handle cricket bat size.
Long Blade: Short Handle and Super Short Handle Cricket Bats
Some cricket bat models are available as a long blade cricket bat with a regular short handle. This obviously increases the playing area of the cricket bat. Long Blade adds an extra half an inch to an inch to the blade length, and does not affect the pick-up as much as a long handle cricket bat does.
A long blade will encourage its user to stand more up-right when taking guard, which could be a useful option for tall players or those that suffer from back problems. Whilst a long-blade could well be an option for anyone at or over the height of 5ft 11ins, we would only recommend a long blade if you are over 6ft, suffer back problems, or find short handle cricket bats uncomfortable.
If you are a junior entering adult cricket then we would recommend that your first port of call is a short handle, even if you are 6 feet tall. If you are comfortably over 6ft and still growing, then long blade is certainly an option; as is long handle, which we will examine next.
Some long blade cricket bats are also available with a super short handle, for users sized at 5ft 11ins and above. Again, we would recommend short handle as your go-to option, unless you feel at risk of discomfort or back problems. But if you want an increased playing area then these long blade options are certainly cricket bat sizes worth considering.
Long Handle Cricket Bats:
Another great cricket bat size for those that stand at 6ft+, long handle cricket bats have a standard blade length (the same as a short handle) but with a – you guessed it – longer handle. The total cricket bat length will be approximately 87.5 inches.
Picking the right long-handle cricket bat is essential as it can sometimes affect the balance and pick-up. Again, while it is completely dependent on your personal preference, we would advise that you only consider a long handle cricket bat size if you are over 6ft 3 inches, or have already tried and failed to get the desired comfort with a short handle cricket bat.
Small Men’s/Academy Cricket Bats
These cricket bats are brilliant for adults of a smaller stature and teenagers that are not quite strong or tall enough to adopt a regular short handle cricket bat. If your height is in that transitional phase, or you have tried and failed to become completely at ease with a short handle due to height or weight restrictions, this cricket bat size could be right for you.
Academy and small men’s cricket bats are sized between junior Harrow size and adult short handle. Taking Gunn & Moore Academy cricket bats as an example, they have the blade width and handle of a Harrow cricket bat, but the blade length of a full-size cricket bat.
Women’s Cricket Bat Sizes
A select few manufacturers have produced cricket bat sizes specific to women. Again, we will use Gunn & Moore as an example. GM women’s cricket bats have a full-size blade width, a Harrow handle and a full-size blade length minus half an inch. Bespoke women’s cricket bat sizes are a testament to the tremendous growth of women’s cricket during the last decade or so.
Junior Cricket Bat Sizes
Here is a cricket bat size guide provided by Kookaburra – an international cricket brand that features prominently on the Cricket world. This graphic perfectly illustrates the evolution of the cricket bat family – from infant cricket bats and junior cricket bats through to Harrow and senior cricket bat sizes. Height recommendations are approximate.
CRICKET BAT SIZE GUIDE
Choosing the correct size bat is vital for the proper technical development of young cricketers. It is important that the bat is not too long and more importantly not too heavy to hinder correct stroke play and good technique. Junior bats are scaled down in size and weight to meet this important requirement. Below is an accurate guide to help you choose an accurate size for a junior cricketer.
By way of comparison, here is a similar guide provided by Gunn & Moore:
If you are perhaps buying for someone who you do not know the precise height for, this Newbery cricket bat size guide provides information on the typical cricket bat sizes for various age groups. Again, these are of course approximate figures.
Newbery Cricket Bat Sizes
Please note: Newbery’s ‘7even’ range is an Academy range. A select few manufacturers also produce size 0 and size 1 junior cricket bats for very small/young children. Size 6, size 5 and Harrow cricket bats are by far the most common junior cricket bat sizes, as these befit the age that most aspiring cricketers start to take up the game at school or youth level.
It is absolutely essential that you select the right junior cricket bat size for you or your child. If you don’t, it will hinder the player’s development. A cricket bat that is too heavy will offer the young cricketer very limited freedom of movement; their play-ability will be affected and they will find it difficult to develop their all-round game.
With that said, junior cricketers will often be going through a growth spurt. It’s all about making an educated call. If you are deliberating between two different junior cricket bat sizes, of course it is sensible to go for the slightly larger one, as they’ll get more use out of it. But do not go several sizes up as, again, this will negatively impact on their development as a batsman.
So, that’s about all you need to know about cricket bat sizes – we hope you’ve found this cricket bat size guide useful. If you require further help on selecting the right cricket bat size for you, just get in touch – we’re happy to help and we love talking cricket.
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