Improving the performance of cricket bats: An experimental and modelling approach

The aim of the current research project was to characterise the difference in the sweet spot of a standard and modified (bat with pre-stressed wooden inserts) cricket bat, as utilised by amateur batsmen facing amateur bowlers. The project was divided into three parts, experimental, analytical analysis and finite element modelling. An experimental bat and ball test apparatus was developed to measure the difference in performance of a cricket bat with and without modifications. The outcomes of this work showed that the addition of a specified insert in the sides of a cricket bat can significantly improve a cricket bat's performance. The potential to use this type of insert could be employed in any design of bat to improve its performance without any additional modifications to the profile of the existing layout.