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[tim2000s]

So before I start, let me carefully define what I mean by performance. By this I mean its ability to hit a round sphere made mostly of cork a very great distance.

The shape of the bat simply defines the dynamic weight of the chunk of willow, determining how it feels to swing and the relative ability of a batsman to wield it.  It does not, by itself, determine whether a ball will bounce off a bat 'A' better than bat 'B'...

Do you think this is true?

[procricket]

The bigger that bat all things being equal like swing speed will hit the ball further.

Handle input is overlooked and so are other factors

[Beaup123]

If this concept was true, wouldn't batmakers put all the wood up near the handle???

Then the bat would pick up way lighter, but still perform the same even though there is next to no wood there.

Imagine the opposite of a nemesis, then you might get what i'm on about.

Just the way I think of it, I know that a bat's performance is determined mainly due to other factors (such as pressing,handles etc.) But the shape still affects where and how the bat performs in certain area's.

[AverageCricketer]

Isn't pressing the most important factor for performance?

[TangoWhiskey]

No the shape changes the position of the sweetspot, which is the point at which the vibrations created by hitting the ball seem less, giving it a nicer feel or the feeling you get when you 'middle one'.

[Northern monkey]

I think unless there is a large amount removed from the toe area,, then bat shape has a fairly small affect on bat performance.
A decent bit of wood, pressed by somebody who knows what they are doing and then shapes the bat for a decent pick up,,to me is far more important.
A nice whippy almost broken handle gives a little extra too

[tim2000s]

The bigger that bat all things being equal like swing speed will hit the ball further.

Handle input is overlooked and so are other factors

By the "Bigger" the bat, I assume you mean "the more mass the bat has", i.e. how many kg of mass does it contain?

[TangoWhiskey]

The centre of percussion is the term I was looking for. Different shapes move that around, making it feel different. The ball might still travel as far if hit in the same place but it certainly won't feel as nice.

[@187no]

The bigger that bat all things being equal like swing speed will hit the ball further.

Handle input is overlooked and so are other factors

Dave has hit the nail bang on slap on the head.

[Slackie]

Newtons 2nd law is highly relevant here: Force=Mass x Acceleration, here mass is obviously the weight of the bat and acceleration is the bats speed, therefore the greater weight of the bat and bat speed the greater the force on the ball. In conclusion, the dynamics of the bat do not have a great deal on performance. This is just from a Physics stand point however, some bats have larger middles, convex profiles, which makes it easier to hit shots on the 'sweet spot'.

[Dhiraj]

The shape of the cricket bat is critical on how the ball reacts for the same action from the batsman.
If you take Mangoose bat for ex: the longer handle multiples the force by that many times ( depending on the length of the handle) even if you were to assume the bat comes down on the ball from the same height, angle and other variables being the same.
If the bat face is curved to say having a straight face, the surface area that come in contact is different and that in itself should create a small degree of difference in the ball traveling x or y distance.

Design is critical for performance be it a cricket bat or a simple chair. The percentage difference in performance might vary.

[fasteddie]

To directly answer the question, I would say No.

Why?

Because the shape dictates a number of factors;
1) Pick up - critical when playing all types of bowling and areas
2) Position of middle - critical for each individual batsman

There will be more, but these are two important factors.

Without these a bat would be of no use to the incumbent.

Both 1 and 2 can be greatly varied and an infinite # of connotations are available.

As such, the question is easy to answer (so long as you answer the question, and NOT the assumptive question you might want to answer).

[King pair]

I do not agree that is irrelevant, but what I have found recently is that position on the middle isn't actually as important as people make out.

[@187no]

The question you ask is easily answered. The middle of the bat is where you as a player wish it to be.

[Buzz]

not much talk of pivot points here or the impact on performance that distance from the pivot point the main mass of the bat is.

This is an interesting question though - can a concaved bat with the same middle position and weight and handle have the same performance as a convext bat (think a tour). thus two very different shapes, but math mathematically similar.