After you buy that shining new willow, you just can’t stop looking at it. You want to start playing with immediately, and are desperate to score those big runs, aren’t you? New Bat produce so much excitement in each one us, we just can’t stop talking about it. But a new Bat also require a lot of care before it should be used in a professional match. Especially when you are using a English willow bat, English willow bats with soft willows should not be directly used in matches with new balls.
The truth is most people use substandard balls wh8ile playing in league or club matches and this caused heavy damage to a new bat in particular. Users complain about the quality of willow while it is actually the quality of cricket ball being used which is causing the heavy damage to your bat. Most leather balls used in local matches in India are heavier than the ones mandated by ICC and BCCI and this causes damage to new bats. There are many instances where a new bat is broken in playing just few matches because of poor quality balls used.
So, when you buy a new bat keep in mind that the bat should not be immediately used against a new ball, especially if the ball is of poor quality. The best strategy is to knock the bat with an old ball in the nets for a few days and then using it against a new ball. Directly using English willow bats against a new ball ends up damaging its edges. While you will complain about the quality of your bat, but in reality, it is the quality of your ball which has caused the damage.
The best strategy would be to buy Bat oil from Sport Axe and apply it on your bat for a few days specially when it is new. The bat oil will prevent your bat from significant damage to the edges and keep its willow smooth. When a new ball strikes a newly purchased willow, the intensity of the ball causes a damage to soft wood and thus bat oil will come handy to prevent the damage.