Knock, knock, it’s bat care!

Knocking a cricket bat isn’t for everyone but it certainly is a non-negotiable for not just your bat, but also for maintaining consistently stellar stroke-making on the pitch. 

The three P’s of your bat: profile, pick up and ping, are only brought to the forefront with the right mix of knocking in and oiling. Your on-pitch performance is bound to be muted and below par without a well-oiled and knocked bat to partner you. Knocking prepares your bat to take on every shot head on and give you an assured response every time you step on the front foot.

If you wish to go the old school route and knock-in your bat yourself, Cricsto has you covered with our bat mallet. But it is important that you are well-versed with the knocking procedure before you start knocking in your bat yourself. 

Using wooden bat mallet, begin by tapping the blade (the main surface of the bat). Take care in avoiding the handle, back and the splice. As you continue tapping, gradually increase the force with with which you hit the blade, until you can feel the stress on your wrist. It is vital to ensure that you are gentle to the toe and face edges of the bat, which are susceptible to chips and indentations if not knocked in improperly and at the incorrect angle. To know if you are knocking in your bat correctly, the edges are the best indicator. If you notice the edges are slowly becoming rounded and more compressed as you knock, you are going in the right direction. Knocking in at the sweet spot, though the most time taking portion of the entire process, substantially adds to the ping your bat gives on contact with the ball.

Seems like a headache? Don’t worry we have your bat’s back. Cricsto’s knocking-in service is available at the convenience of your doorstep. We pick up your bats from the comfort of your home, carry out our extensive knocking and oiling process in the Cricsto warehouse. Like the traditionalists, we also love to fully honour the diligent process that is knocking, going all out to ensure that your bat is knocked according to professional standards. 

Cricsto also offers prior knocking and oiling of new bats purchased directly from our website, so that you can hit the pitch as soon as we deliver your bat!