What Wood Is a Cricket Bat Made Of?

The rules of cricket state that a cricket bat must be made of wood, and nearly all cricket bats are made from willow, specifically the Cricket-Bat Willow cultivar. This type of wood is used due to its strength, its light weight and its resistance to splintering. The trees are grown and harvested for use in the production of cricket bats, and the wood is fashioned either by hand or by machine into the classic paddle shape.

  1. Cricket-Bat Willow

    • The Cricket-Bat Willow is a cultivar of White Willow, native to Europe and to West and Central Asia. It is the best wood for making bats because it is lightweight, it is shock resistant and it doesn’t splinter when hit with a hard cricket ball. Cricket-Bat Willow is mostly grown as a timber crop specifically for the cricket bat market. Ninety percent of the world’s cricket bats are made from willow grown and harvested in England by one company, J.S. Wright and Sons Ltd.

    Growth

    • The Cricket-Bat Willow is mature and ready to be harvested at 15-20 years old. As it grows from a sapling all the side shoots are removed by rubbing or cutting them off. The growth of these shoots causes knots in the wood and reduces its usefulness.

    Harvesting

    • When the Cricket-Bat Willow is mature, it is chopped down, cut into the basic cricket bat shape and then cured in the air for a year. Then the grain and blemishes of the wood are examined, and the wood is assigned a grade from 1 to 4. The grade does not necessarily indicate the sporting performance of the finished bat but mostly relates to the appearance of the wood and determines its value on the market. Consumers do not want wood that is dark or uneven in coloring, or bats that have blemishes, staining or specks.

    Bat Making

    • Some less attractive-looking willow is bleached to make it paler and even out the color over the bat’s surface. Blemishes are sometimes bleached or removed and filled. The piece of willow is spliced with a cylindrical handle. The willow is treated with linseed oil to add a layer of protection and extra surface friction.

    New Cricket Bats

    • Before they can be used to play cricket, new cricket bats need to be “knocked in." There are special ball-ended mallets available for the job, or you can use a cricket ball placed inside a sock to repeatedly knock the surface of the bat. This action compacts the willow’s fibers and prevents the cricket bat from breaking under the force of a high-speed cricket ball.