Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: sloggerroz on September 26, 2012, 07:42:15 PM
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Just wondered what peoples opinions where on how much does a good bat matter? Eg if an opening batsman with an average stick scored 500 runs last season, how many would he have scored with a £30 jjb special and how many would he have scored with newbery cenkos or l and w signature.
My opinion: with a rubbish bat 350 runs
with a top bat 600 runs.
Obviosly there are alot of other factors when it comes to scoring runs like how strong mentally a person is etc etc. But just wondered what peoples thoughts were for the average opening batsmsn.
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Don't get the forum started on this subject lol, there are 100s of posts that give completely different views, and all can no doubt be found using a simple search!
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Well for me it about confidence in your kit you at the end score the runs not a bat but for me if i believe in all my kit including protection i feel better and more confident.
But i have also found when i do not give a rats sometime and just go out without thinking i score well.
The whole bat love for me and softs comes from a background of poverty and i remember all the other kids having and me not.
It like when you come down the wicket and hit over the top if you know you have a dcent blade it half the battle
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Obviously a bat doesn't guarantee you runs as you have to hit the ball etc and nothing can guarantee you doing that. However I feel a batter bat gives you more confidence in playing your shots and will give you full value for them.
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if the bats were used by a machine (like one of those ones used to test golf clubs) then I suspect you'd see a difference of circa 15-20% (a lot less if you changed a £30 JJB plank for say a Kookaburra 250 or GN entry level bat). But in the often psychological game as played by humans, a lot more - I reckon up to 50% because a lot fo teh game is about feeling confidence etc.
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Sorry lads my bad if this is an old topic.
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I think you have to have confidence in the kit you have. I've seen people score runs with planks off eBay for 20 quid and then someone with a 200 bat score naff all. Both who play top order. This year I've had a range of bats, all being top end, but I fell in love with a H4L I bought off here for 95, it felt perfect in my hands when I got it.
I think cricket is one sport where kit can effect performance, but it also has to do with the confidence in the player
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Still interesting though.
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It would be interesting to see how somebody would perform with a cheap bat they have confidence in and then a top end bat they have confidence in, obviously circumstances would never be the same with conditions/bowlers/wicket etc
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I think a better blade makes a huge difference in getting value for shots. However that's not to say a $30 JJB special won't ping like a quality blade should...have seen and used plenty of off the shelf bats that are worth heaps but don't perform like you would expect
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in the last 5 years I have gone from averaging 20 a season to 40 a season opening the batting for my clubs first team.
the difference has been having regular bowling machine sessions.
during that time I have used 4 different bats from a 3 different places. the change in weight impacted my stroke play, more than the quality of willow.
in short you need to use a bat that you can have faith in, be it a £60 jjb special or a £200 Tim Keeley bat.
I am not sure there is a right answer to this question but it is worth asking!
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Its all about confidence
Once you pay more you think it will be a better quality...and there is some reason for why a bat is priced more ..talking about 100gbp difference
If you have a couple of good games with one bat then that you will think the bat is improving your game
Even if 2 bats are same price - one may work better because of profile/shape/weight difference
So a good bat is what suits you......Price does play a factor to get a decent bat overprice doesn't help
so i'll say bats with price tags 100-200gbp should play well...but then it has to suit your style of playing.
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It doesn't. You may be able hit the ball further and hit a few more fours but what about the ones that raced to the fielder and is a1 instead of a two or an aerial shot that instead of bouncing short goes straight into the fielders hands?
Like others have said it gives you confidence and frees your mind from a potential worry and you can concentrate on your batting. If you turn up without your boots it plays on your mind and distracts you.
I batted with shiv chanderpauls bat on a few occasions and every time I changed it, it was too light and i convinced myself it was a plank.
If your bat is too heavy for you it will have a negative impact, tire you out quicker and usually mean you can't hit short balls with the required hand speed
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The quality is very important for me. I got an off the shelf GN for £170 from a small shop near me that goes like an absolute gun! I'm not a particularly good batsman and don't time the ball all that well but even little flicks off my pads often go flying over fielders with my current bat.
When you have a bat that you know really goes it gives you confidence to play aggressive shots looking to go over fielders heads because you trust your ability to get it over them successfully. I doubt I would have even got half the runs I did if I had a cheap £60 bat from JJB.
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But theres nothing to say that a £60 JJb bat wouldn't be good! I don't agree with the fact that a more expensive bat makes you a better batsman. The best seasons I've had were with an £80 Kook, have been poo since upgrading to a £200+ Bulldog. And the bat is certainly better, and I have more confidence with it, I'm just not in good form... simples!
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It certainly helps! Mind you, not so much just a good bat, but more a good bat that is the right bat for you. :D
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What about overconfidence, it could cause you to play too many shots? I think it's all in the head, batting is over 70% mental in my opinion.
one old boy lent my Distinction and changed it after a few overs saying it was only fit for fire wood.
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Since replacing my Kook Rogue with a Salix Praestantia, my batting average has trebled, so I am convinced it makes a difference. Of course, the bat is not the only reason my average has gone up, but it definitely helps you mentally if you are confident in your chosen weapon, comfortable with it, and trust it to perform to the highest standard possible. With my Salix, I quite often find that a toe ender, or a mis-timed swing through the line will still race away to the boundary, while such shots rarely did with the previous bats I had owned...
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Since replacing my Kook Rogue with a Salix Praestantia, my batting average has trebled, so I am convinced it makes a difference. Of course, the bat is not the only reason my average has gone up, but it definitely helps you mentally if you are confident in your chosen weapon, comfortable with it, and trust it to perform to the highest standard possible. With my Salix, I quite often find that a toe ender, or a mis-timed swing through the line will still race away to the boundary, while such shots rarely did with the previous bats I had owned...
Having said that Paul, you also swapped from lh to sh, which may have had a bigger impact...
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This was £44.99 in JJB last October, so I guess it depends on what £60 gets you?
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MuXjJZCCnlY/TuD5ytummhI/AAAAAAAADW0/CAcnjv-JAxg/s508/DSC_0749.jpg)
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I hope you bought that Nick?
Like Buzz said, my biggest difference wasn't the price of the willow, more the weight. I had a 2.14 Ayrtek (rrp £240) which I struggled to lift the bat quick enough to play pull shots and cut shots and averaged 29 the season I used it. Now I have a GM Icon 606 (as most know by now) rrp £125 which is 2.9/2.10 and I've averaged a fraction under 50 with it. I've just been able to play more shots with it which has resulted in more runs being scored*.
*I scored more in a season with the Ayrtek but played double the games/innings
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In my personal experience, a better bat get's you more value per shot. Other than that it's mostly in the hands of the user rather than the blade. Good example was our clubs top bat, who had a god awful no-name indian made bat and he was always caught a foot short of the boundary rope. He switched to a average stick (in my opinion) from a known indian brand and he was clearing the ropes better. I'm in the process of convincing him to buy a proper UK handmade bat.
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A good bat has never improved my performance, however that has never stopped me buying one. I wouldn't be on this forum if otherwise.
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A good bat has never improved my performance, however that has never stopped me buying one. I wouldn't be on this forum if otherwise.
Couldn't agree more!
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A good bat has never improved my performance, however that has never stopped me buying one. I wouldn't be on this forum if otherwise.
Brucie you utter bat whore tart
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Like Buzz said, my biggest difference wasn't the price of the willow, more the weight. I had a 2.14 Ayrtek (rrp £240) which I struggled to lift the bat quick enough to play pull shots and cut shots and averaged 29 the season I used it. Now I have a GM Icon 606 (as most know by now) rrp £125 which is 2.9/2.10 and I've averaged a fraction under 50 with it. I've just been able to play more shots with it which has resulted in more runs being scored*.
oddly I'm the opposite - the one time I tried a lighter bat my form went from averaging 45 to not able to find a barndoor with both hands!
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Having said that Paul, you also swapped from lh to sh, which may have had a bigger impact...
The Kook Rogue was also SH though, Tim - it was the bat before (GN Evo Extreme) that was LH...
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Dropping down to a much lighter bat helped me a lot. With the 3 lb-plus unit that I had been using, it wasn't so much not getting value for the shots as not being able to play the shots. OK, it wasn't a top drawer bat, but any expectation of using a heavy bat and seeing a gentle push race for four due to the huge weight turned out to be mere fantasy! :D
In contrast, first ball up with the 2 lb 6 oz bat, a gentle push went through the covers for runs. :o