Bat cracks from knocking in

[davchap101]

Hi all,

I’ve recently bought a new bat (cheap Kookuburra from sports direct).

I’m totally new to cricket and have never owned a bat before but knew I needed to knock it in. I watched a few videos and felt like I had a good idea of how to tackle it, but during the process a few cracks have started to appear, going against the grain.

The bat already has an armour tech facing on it so I assumed that meant it had been oiled, but should I have tried to oil it from the back first? Am I just hitting it too hard too quickly?

Any advice on this and how to proceed from here much appreciated.

 

[smash84]

I was browsing the forum quickly and for a moment read the word "bat" in the thread name as "butt"

 

[davchap101]

Thanks for your insight! ?

 

[Riaan]

Good day. Remember that before you knock in the bat it needs to be oiled first and then left for 48 hours to dry completely, I hope it was done by the shop where you bought it before they applied the cover. Then you need to first knock in your bat with a soft used cricket ball for 1 to 2 hours and then only do you knock it with a hard new cricket ball or mallet for another 2 to 3 hours. Remember to knock in the edges aswell thoroughly. Then after you knocked in the bat, go play in the nest first against an old ball and progress to a hard ball almost after an hour. Remember english willow is a soft wood and will be hard pressed by the bat maker, but a hard new ball can make dentations on a new cricket bat. According to what i see it is only face cracks. Remove the cover and then just sand down the bat, oil it lightly only on the face. Remember over oiling is also not good for a bat. I came across this website that can assist you on how to prepare your bat.
I came accross this website that will assist you with bat preperation cricket-bats.com.
Regards Riaan

 

[Shri]

you need to adjust your grip

 

[Burgey]

They look like they're surface cracks which, if you take them somewhere, they can take off the face and then sand it back to below the level of the cracks. That process would also enable the face to be oiled. It would be unusual for a bat to crack that early in its prep unless you're hitting it with either a ball that's too hard and/ or it hasn't been oiled.

The other thing that's a bit old school is rolling the edges of the bat over the enamel edge of your bath tub a few times each day. Sounds weird but it gives you more thorough coverage of the edges than trying to knock them in with a ball. If you're in England, it will obviously be hard to find a bath tub, but it's worth the effort if you can.

I would also invest in a ball mallet. They're very cheap and handy for whenever you're knocking in a new bat.