The most preferred wood for the production of cricket bats is willow. Basically, there are two types of willow.

• Kashmir willow cricket bats
• English willow cricket bats

Kashmir willow is found in regions of Kashmir whereas English willow is found in England. However, these two types of willow are different in appearance as well as in quality. In appearance  Kashmir willow is brownish in color whereas English willow is much whiter in color. Due to difference in color, bats made by kashmir willow can be easily distinguished from the English willow cricket bats.

Kashmir willow cricket bats are used in cricket by the  cricket batsman. As by their name Kashmir willow, these comes from India as well as in Pakistan, and made in the regions of Jammu and Kashmir “both in India and Pakistan” From the wood of the tree called willow, mostly found in northern India however teak and Saal wood are also used for the production of bats in the north-western region. But bats made by the teak and saal wood are not in high quality as are Kashmir willow bats. Kashmir willow bats are handmade and becoming very expensive.

Why Kashmir Willow is used

Kashmir Willow are used in the production of bats as it is very tough and shock resistance, durable as well as very light in weight. That is the reason Kashmir willow bats are used by the professional cricket players.

Maintaining

The face of the Kashmir willow bats or the striking area of the bat must be covered with the protection film by the user. Most cricket bats are not ready for the immediate use after purchasing. It requires knocking in. Knocking in is the process of striking the surface (face of the bat) with the old cricket ball. This will reduce the risk of bat snapping. The bat’s face need to be oiled with raw linseed oil before play to keep the bat’s surface tacky. It also acts as the protection layer on the wood and gives the better control of the shot to the batman

Some Popular Kashmir willow bats

• MRF Street Fighter Popular Willow Cricket Bat, Short Handle

• SG RSD Spark Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat

• SG Maxcover Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat

• DSC Scorer Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat, Short Handle

• Adidas Master Blaster Rookie Kashmir-Willow Cricket Bat

Brands who manufacture Kashmir willow bats

• Gunn & Moore
• Kookaburra
• Gray nicolls
• Sanspareils greenlands
• Slazenger