WHAT ARE THE LEGAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR CRICKET BATS?
Cricket is unique in that there are obligations within its laws that require the captains, players and match officials to uphold the ‘spirit of the sport’. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the governing body of world cricket, with 105 countries currently in membership and play a significant role in protecting the spirit and integrity of the game through the implementation and adherence to the laws of cricket.
These Laws of Cricket set the rules of cricket worldwide. Amongst a wide range of rules relating to all parts of the game they also set the legal specifications for the width and length of a cricket bat, including requirements for the handle, grip and the material/thickness of any covering used.
Here at Chase Cricket, we must meet the following specifications to ensure our bats comply with the laws of cricket and can be used in all formats of the game.
Width | Max. 4.25” / 10.8cm – bats can be narrower than these measurements.
Length | Max. 38” / 96.52cm – bats can be shorter than these measurements.
Depth | Max. 2.64” / 6.7cm at the middle, and max. 1.56” / 4cm at the edge.
Covering | Any covering used on the blade must not exceed a thickness of 0.11cm. This covering should not be likely to cause any damage to the cricket ball.
A summary of the specific requirements can be seen below.
5.1 The bat
5.1.1 The bat consists of two parts, a handle and a blade.
5.1.2 The basic requirements and measurements of the bat are set out in this Law.
B.3 SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE BLADE
B.3.1. The blade has a face, a back, a toe, sides and shoulders.
B.3.1.1 The face of the blade is its main striking surface and shall be flat or have a slight convex curve resulting from traditional pressing techniques. The back is the opposite surface.
B.3.1.2 The shoulders, sides and toe are the remaining surfaces, separating the face and the back.
B.3.1.3 The shoulders, one on each side of the handle, are along that portion of the blade between the first entry point of the handle and the point at which the blade first reaches its full width.
B.3.1.4 The toe is the surface opposite to the shoulders taken as a pair.
B.3.1.5 The sides, one each side of the blade, are along the rest of the blade, between the toe and the shoulders.
The Handle
5.2.1 The handle is to be made principally of cane and/or wood.
5.2.2 The part of the handle that is wholly outside the blade is defined to be the upper portion of the handle. It is a straight shaft for holding the bat.
5.2.3 The upper portion of the handle may be covered with a grip as defined.
B.2.2. The handle may be glued where necessary and bound with twine along the upper portion.
Providing Law 5.5 is not contravened, the upper portion may be covered with materials solely to provide a surface suitable for gripping. Such covering is an addition and is not part of the bat, except in relation to Law 5.6. The bottom of this grip should not extend below the point defined in B.2.4 below.
Twine binding and the covering grip may extend beyond the junction of the upper and lower portions of the handle, to cover part of the shoulders of the bat as defined in B.3.1.
No material may be placed on or inserted into the lower portion of the handle other than as permitted above together with the minimal adhesives or adhesive tape used solely for fixing these items, or for fixing the handle to the blade.
The Blade
5.3.1 The blade comprises the whole of the bat apart from the handle.
5.3.2 The blade shall consist solely of wood.
5.3.3 All bats may have commercial identifications on the blade, the size of which must comply with the relevant specification.
Bat size limits
5.7.1 The overall length of the bat, when the lower portion of the handle is inserted, shall not be more than 38 in/96.52 cm.
5.7.2 The blade of the bat shall not exceed the following dimensions:
Width: 4.25in / 10.8 cm
Depth: 2.64in / 6.7 cm
Edges: 1.56in / 4.0cm.
Furthermore, it should also be able to pass through a bat gauge.
5.7.3 Except for bats of size 6 and less, the handle shall not exceed 52% of the overall length of the bat.
5.7.4 The material permitted for covering the blade in 5.4.1 shall not exceed 0.04 in/0.1 cm in thickness.
5.7.5 The maximum permitted thickness of protective material placed on the toe of the blade is 0.12 in/0.3 cm.
The Laws of Cricket | MCC (lords.org)
Credit Marylebone Cricket Club 2017