Buying a cricket bat is one of the most intimate purchases you’ll make, perhaps alongside an engagement ring and a puppy.
This is the piece of English willow (never Kashmir) that will keep you company for - hopefully - years to come. It’s neither a decision to take lightly, nor one to get wrong.
Every player should try a bat before they buy it. The best retailers have a net on-site which allows you to feel bat on ball, test the weight and balance of the bat and ensure the pick-up is seamless in your hands. Regardless, it’s important to have an idea of which bat might work with your technique, strength and playing style. Generally speaking, there are four criteria for choosing a new bat: grade of willow, size, weight and bat shape.
What is the grade of a cricket bat?
The grade refers to the quality of the willow used to make the bat. The grades run from 1-5 with 1 being the best. For casual players, Grade 3 offers a decent product at an affordable price.
Kashmir willow is decidedly poorer quality, though an awful lot cheaper, than English willow. The majority of bats sold in the UK will be made from the latter. Bats can be expensive, but it’s important to remember that cheaper willow is more likely to crack or snap.
What about size?
Cricket bats are sized 1-6, Harrow, Short-handle, Long-handle. The most commonly used size is a short-handle which broadly works for anyone between 5ft 8 and 6ft2.
What about weight?
Bat weight is vital to ensuring a clean pick-up and effortless shot execution. Too heavy and your bottom hand will compensate on your shots, lifting the ball into the air; too light, and your balance at the crease can be affected, as well as your timing. Most senior bats weigh between 2lb 7oz to 2lb 12oz.
Aside from simply feeling right, the old and best way to gauge the right weight for you is to hold the bat at the end of the handle with just your top hand and lift it up in the air at 45 degrees.
You should be able to maintain this for about thirty seconds. If that’s too difficult, the bat’s too heavy; too easy, and the bat’s too light.
Best cricket bats at a glance
- Best for overall: Salix Knife, £603.95, CricketDirect
- Best for front foot batting: GM Brava L555 DXM, £158.48, Amazon
- Best for power-hitting: DSC Intense, £129.99-£399.99, AllRounderCricket
- Best for a budget: Newbery N Series 2.0, £187.50, Pro:Direct Sports
- Best for clearing the boundary: Kookaburra Aura, £178.99, Cricket Supplies
- Best for juniors: Salix AJK, £202.50, Amazon
- Best for female players: Gray-Nicolls Gem 1.1, £219.75, Amazon
- Best for a safe bet: Gray-Nicolls Hypernova Gen 1.0 Pro Performance Cricket Bat, £467.50, Pro Direct Sport
- Best for modern hitters who love the brand: Millichamp & Hill C100, £565, M&H
- Best for weight and heft: Viking Jorvik, £259.99, Viking
See the best cricket bats below
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Salix Knife
Best for: All-round top-pick
Salix is one of the very finest bat makers in the world. They’ve proudly been making bats themselves, with no outsourcing whatsoever, for thirty years.
This year the team have four senior bats in their range. The AMP and the AJK will be familiar to many players and still represent great value. However, also available from Salix are the RAW - available in grade 2 and 3 at a competitive price point - as well as the Knife. The Knife is a wonder. It’s the most beautiful cricket bat in this list.
It’s only available in Grade 1 willow, cut from the bottom of the tree at its strongest point, and entirely made-by-hand. The pickup is beautiful, and the balance of the blade makes it a joy to play with.
Buy now £603.95, CricketDirect
Gray-Nicolls Gem 1.1
Best for: Female players
Cricket bats are generally unisex; or perhaps better phrased, designed for men and used by women. Gray-Nicolls are changing that with their GEM range. The bats, available in three grades, have a particularly lightweight pickup thanks to a super-short handle and a mid-blade sweet spot.
The GEM suits batters who rely on their technique rather than brute force, though the lightweight means players can still manufacture serious bat-speed. Gray-Nicolls debuted this range in 2021.
The only caveat for this year’s release is that very little has changed except for the new aqua blue design. If you already own a GEM, it’s probably not worth upgrading. However, for women and girls, this range remains a market leader in female-focused bat design.
Buy now £219.75, Amazon
Kookaburra Aura
Best for: Clearing the boundary
Kookaburra is synonymous with big-hitters, largely thanks to its association with England one-day captain Jos Butler. With the Aura, new for 2023, they’ve backed this up with an absolute beast of a cricket bat. The bat is designed for 360 degree power-hitting.
As a result, it’s a light bat only available between 2lb8 and 2lb10, though you’ll find it available in all willow grades and all price points. Kookaburra have continued their iconic Kahuna range which will no doubt prove a hit again.
But with a slightly lower sweet-spot and a marginally more pronounced bow shape, the Aura is my bet for clearing the ropes this season.
Buy now £178.99, Cricket Supplies
Gunn and Moore Brava L555 DXM
Best for: Front foot shots on English wickets
Legendary cricket manufacturer Gunn and Moore have not one but three new cricket bats for 2023, reflecting their status as one of the major players in the consumer market. However, the Brava is my pick of the GM bats. It has the lowest ‘sweet spot’ of the three bats which makes it perfect for front foot batting.
On English amateur wickets where the ball doesn’t tend to bounce a huge amount, a low sweet spot is the best way to ensure a smooth connection. This model is only available as a short-handle, which means it’s only suitable for players between roughly 5ft 8 and 6ft2. However, with three willow grades and three weights to choose from, this bat will suit the majority of amateur players and budgets.
From £164.95-£699.95
Buy now £164.95, GM
DSC Intense Series
Best for: Back-foot players
DSC have signed up a number of superstars to rep their cricket bats, from David Warner to… erm, Rory Burns.
But while big sponsorship campaigns can put-off devoted amateurs, DSC remains a brand of some repute and is one of India’s largest manufacturers of cricket equipment. New for 2023 is the Intense Series, adorned with smart blue and red stickers and available at all price points in different grades.
I like the curvature of the bow on this bat; it certainly suits bouncier wickets and back-foot hook and pull shots. For those pinch-hitters who love to rock back and wildly swing behind square, this is the bat for you.
Prices range from £129.99-£399.99.
Buy now £399.99, All Rounder Cricket
Newbery N Series 2.0
Best for: Batters on a budget
Newbery has a reputation for producing beautiful cricket bats. Village cricketers are reared to fear an opening batsman armed with a Newbery.
But I want to recommend a bat at the lowest end of their price spectrum: the N Series 2.0. This is a £200 bat designed for those either starting out in the game or perhaps a tailender who doesn’t intend to spend an awful lot of time at the crease.
The original N Series was made from Grade 4 willow, which made it difficult to recommend. At just £50 more, the N Series 2.0 is made from Grade 3 willow and is a vast improvement on its predecessor. The mid-to-high sweet spot isn’t ideal for low wickets, but could suit less confident batters who are reluctant to play on the front foot. With their N Series 2.0, Newbery have designed a bat that doesn’t cost a fortune but which can withstand frequent use.
For more accomplished players, Newbery offers an incredible bat builder service which allows you to customise your bat to the nth degree, but it comes at a hefty cost.
Buy now £187.50, Pro:Direct Sport
Gray-Nicolls Hypernova Gen 1.0 Pro Performance Cricket Bat
Best for: A safe bet
The Hypernova is the headline act from the Gray-Nicolls stable for 2023. Available in all different shapes, weights, sizes and willows, this is a lovely bat from one of the world’s most renowned manufacturers. For those not sure what they’re looking for, this is a safe bet.
Players can be very cynical about bats that are available in quite so many different iterations, but I think this snobbery is misplaced. Gray-Nicolls are a big brand and they’re appealing to the mass market. But if you buy a premium product from any of their ranges, you’re going to be the owner of a spectacular cricket bat.
Buy now £467.50, Pro Direct Sport
Millichamp & Hill C100
Best for: Modern hitters who love the brand
Should anyone turn up to a village game with a Millichamp & Hall, they’re either utterly useless or quite simply sublime. I don’t know why, but it’s true. These cricket bats, once used by only a select few, are becoming increasingly popular and it’s clear to see why.
The C100 isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as The Original M&H, famously modelled by Jack Leach when he scored 92 at Lords against Ireland, but it does bring the brand into the modern day. The bat comes in numerous designs, from a blue, green and yellow fade called Zing, to the certainly extraordinary Arctic Storm. But this isn’t about design.
The C100 has a mammoth hitting area and suits the contemporary power-hitting game. This is the bat they provide their professional players with, which says it all really.
There are few manufacturers I’d trust to build a cricket bat to play for my life with. M&H might be one- maybe just don’t ask them to design your wallpaper.
Buy now £565.00, M&H
Salix AJK
Best for: Juniors
It’s tricky to buy bats for juniors and at around £200 this isn’t the cheapest option. It’s available in sizes 4, 5, 6 and Harrow but kids often move up a size every year or two meaning a junior bat isn’t for life. If your child is playing very casual cricket, there are junior bats available at mainstream retailers for well under £100.
But if your little one is in any way serious about the game or genuinely looking to improve, those bats won’t allow them to reach their potential. Unfortunately, cricket bats really do affect performance. Salix provides the AJK in both senior and Junior models.
The bat has a modern, flat face, it’s beautifully pressed to ensure longevity and a seamless pickup. The low sweet spot will encourage sensible front foot batting and provided the size still fits, this bat should last for a number of years.
Buy now £202.50, Salix
Viking Jorvik
Best for: weight and heft
The parallels between cricket bats and swords are obvious, but Viking takes it to a new level with its mantra, ‘handmade by norsemen, used by warriors’. That said, there’s far more to these bats than marketing hype.
The Jorvik comes in three grades and three weights, each with a low sweet-spot, which as you see is something of a trend in England. But where the Jorvik stands out is in the weight category.
Quite remarkably, Viking produces its bats at a weight of 3 lb’s + which is markedly heavier than many other makers. This won’t suit everyone, and you can get the same model at 2lb 8, but for batters who like a heavy bat and a weighty pick-up, this is the brand to know.
It should go without saying that if you’ve got the brawn to wield this 3lb beast, you’ll have time to recover as the fielders look for the ball in the trees.
Prices from £259.99-£579.99.
Buy now £259.99, Viking
Verdict
Different bats suit different needs but when it comes to deciding a favourite that will appeal to all players, my mind immediately goes to the best manufacturers, M&H, Salix, Newbery. For that reason, I can’t look past the Salix Knife for 2023. It’s a joy to play with, it looks fantastic and there’s genuine craft in its design.
