Tell me, what are the best cricket bats right now?
At some stage I want to play again. The CWC and Ashes has me tempted.
I've hit a couple of tons and a whole shed load of fifties over the years albeit at an extremely suspect standard. My bowling used to be good, but progressively became **** partly due to a shoulder injury I had as a junior. Decent athletic fielder with a bullet arm. Needless to say if I played again it would be at a questionable standard and as a batsman fielding at cover or point. Since I've not played in ages and lost touch with the guys I played with, I wondered what's a gun bat right now? I've been reading about the bats guys use and it is probably more of a factor for an individual player than I thought in the past.
I've never picked up a New Balance bat so any kind of review for one of those is helpful, the top guys seem to be using it. In terms of how I play, anything pitched up outside off stump I try to hit out the ground for six (not exaggerating). I love to go over the top and I'm a power player. To give you a better picture I hit sixes over long off, cover and cover point off seamers if I'm in good form and the bowling is questionable. Off spinners I hit sixes over long on, long off or deep midwicket. My fours are usually through cover or cover point. I hit 89 off 40 balls once with 12 sixes on a county sized ground. In fact I played a game once at an old county's ground in England and blasted the ball out the ground over the pavilion. So when I say big hitter imagine Andre Russell with far less talent, yes that brutal. I'm basically a crappy powerful slogger that knows his limitations, so I block anything that I don't have the skill to hit and just try to see off any good bowlers.
Other notes. I am terrible through the leg side unless it's a slog. I have never really pulled or hooked the ball but want to start doing that to bring some leg side play into my game. My strongest shots are over mid off, cover drive on the deck and in the air and cut. I tend to block everything on the stumps no matter what the length is (something I need to change with some teaching - a lighter bat might help by leg side game too I tended to use a heavy one before, but to be honest I possibly just don't have the talent to ever get good with sensible leg side accumulation). So my main scoring leg side shots are leg glance in ground or air, or smashing a rank long hop that's going down leg side.
Now you know how good (or bad ) I am please recommend some bats you enjoy playing with. How you bat would be good too and don't be modest. Of course my style of batting seems ****** but most teams plug away in the corridor of uncertainty or just outside which is where I am happy, I bat with an off stump guard (after years of trial and error). I realise a lot of things are at play here. I lift a lot of weight in the gym, but I don't like bats over 2lb 10oz - that's my limit - it's crazy to me Sachin used such a heavy bat. That would feel like batting with a railway sleeper to me.
Any help appreciated and then hopefully I can resurrect my game from the dead if I get the chance to practice over the coming months. I have plenty of time to get my game in order before summer here, at which point I'll look for a team if I'm happy. Helmet, glove and pad recommendations also welcome - mine are knackered and look 100 years old now. In terms of me writing you an essay, if one of you guys reply with some valuable info it may be worth it. I'll get to a few cricket shops in the area too and see what they can recommend me before pulling the trigger on one.
Thanks.
At some stage I want to play again. The CWC and Ashes has me tempted.
I've hit a couple of tons and a whole shed load of fifties over the years albeit at an extremely suspect standard. My bowling used to be good, but progressively became **** partly due to a shoulder injury I had as a junior. Decent athletic fielder with a bullet arm. Needless to say if I played again it would be at a questionable standard and as a batsman fielding at cover or point. Since I've not played in ages and lost touch with the guys I played with, I wondered what's a gun bat right now? I've been reading about the bats guys use and it is probably more of a factor for an individual player than I thought in the past.
I've never picked up a New Balance bat so any kind of review for one of those is helpful, the top guys seem to be using it. In terms of how I play, anything pitched up outside off stump I try to hit out the ground for six (not exaggerating). I love to go over the top and I'm a power player. To give you a better picture I hit sixes over long off, cover and cover point off seamers if I'm in good form and the bowling is questionable. Off spinners I hit sixes over long on, long off or deep midwicket. My fours are usually through cover or cover point. I hit 89 off 40 balls once with 12 sixes on a county sized ground. In fact I played a game once at an old county's ground in England and blasted the ball out the ground over the pavilion. So when I say big hitter imagine Andre Russell with far less talent, yes that brutal. I'm basically a crappy powerful slogger that knows his limitations, so I block anything that I don't have the skill to hit and just try to see off any good bowlers.
Other notes. I am terrible through the leg side unless it's a slog. I have never really pulled or hooked the ball but want to start doing that to bring some leg side play into my game. My strongest shots are over mid off, cover drive on the deck and in the air and cut. I tend to block everything on the stumps no matter what the length is (something I need to change with some teaching - a lighter bat might help by leg side game too I tended to use a heavy one before, but to be honest I possibly just don't have the talent to ever get good with sensible leg side accumulation). So my main scoring leg side shots are leg glance in ground or air, or smashing a rank long hop that's going down leg side.
Now you know how good (or bad ) I am please recommend some bats you enjoy playing with. How you bat would be good too and don't be modest. Of course my style of batting seems ****** but most teams plug away in the corridor of uncertainty or just outside which is where I am happy, I bat with an off stump guard (after years of trial and error). I realise a lot of things are at play here. I lift a lot of weight in the gym, but I don't like bats over 2lb 10oz - that's my limit - it's crazy to me Sachin used such a heavy bat. That would feel like batting with a railway sleeper to me.
Any help appreciated and then hopefully I can resurrect my game from the dead if I get the chance to practice over the coming months. I have plenty of time to get my game in order before summer here, at which point I'll look for a team if I'm happy. Helmet, glove and pad recommendations also welcome - mine are knackered and look 100 years old now. In terms of me writing you an essay, if one of you guys reply with some valuable info it may be worth it. I'll get to a few cricket shops in the area too and see what they can recommend me before pulling the trigger on one.
Thanks.
