Cricket bat size guide

Bat size goes by height

Not age. A bat that is too long forces a player to reach for the ball and stops them getting their weight into the shot. Too short and they crouch over it.

• Size 5 — player height approx. 144–150cm (roughly ages 9–11)
• Size 6 — player height approx. 150–157cm (roughly ages 11–13)
• Full Size — player height approx. 168cm and above (roughly age 15 to adult)

Our Kashmir willow bats are stocked in sizes 5, 6 and full size.

The two-minute in-store test

Stand the bat upright on the floor next to the player. The top of the handle should reach roughly to the top of their hip.

Then have them take a normal batting stance. The bat should sit comfortably behind the back foot without them reaching forward or hunching down. If they have to adjust their posture to hold the bat properly, it is the wrong size.

Do not buy a size up for a child to grow into. This is the most common and most damaging mistake in junior cricket kit. An oversized bat teaches poor technique, because the child reorganises their entire stance around a bat they cannot control — and that stance is hard to unlearn.

Kashmir willow vs English willow

Every cricket bat is made from one of these two woods, and this explains most of the price difference you see in a shop.

English willow is softer and lighter for its size, with more rebound off the face. It is what professionals use. It is also considerably more expensive, more fragile, and requires a longer and more careful knocking-in process before it can face a hard ball.

Kashmir willow is denser and harder. It gives slightly less rebound, but it is far more durable and costs a fraction of the price. It needs less preparation and survives a school season considerably better.

For school cricket, club cricket, junior players and anyone not being paid to bat, Kashmir willow is the sensible choice. Save English willow for the point where the last few percent of performance genuinely matters to you.

How to knock in a bat

Knocking in compresses the fibres in the face so the bat does not crack the first time it meets a hard cricket ball. Kashmir willow needs less of this than English willow, but skipping it entirely is asking for trouble.

1. Apply a thin coat of raw linseed oil to the face, edges and toe. Thin, not soaked — and never on the splice or the labels.
2. Leave it overnight to absorb.
3. Work the face and edges with a bat mallet or an old ball for a few hours, spread across several sessions rather than done in one go.
4. Pay particular attention to the edges and the toe, which is where bats crack.
5. Start with soft throwdowns before facing anything at full pace.

Looking after it through a season

Store the bat somewhere dry and moderate in temperature. A car boot in a Durban summer dries the willow and makes it brittle; a damp garage is equally bad in the other direction.

Check the toe regularly. That is where bats fail, usually from being tapped on wet ground between deliveries. A toe guard is worth adding for any bat getting school-season volume, and an anti-scuff face sheet extends the life considerably. Re-oil lightly at the start of each season.

The rest of the batting kit

A bat is only part of it. Batting leg guards are compulsory in every organised form of the game, and a helmet is mandatory for junior batters in most South African leagues.

For practice, spring stumps save half a net session by removing the need to reset stumps after every ball. See our cricket ball weight guide for choosing the right ball for each age group.