Understanding Cricket Bat 'Knocking In' & the Latest Recommendations

Mike Wood · 28 March, 2024

There have been a few updates to our cricket brands’ recommendations for 'knocking in' their latest bats. Here’s what you need to know!

Most English willow cricket bats need to be knocked in before use, but there are Gray-Nicolls and Gunn & Moore models this year that have been pre-prepared in their bat factories. These models will not require a knocking in and can be taken and used on the same day.

This innovation from Gray-Nicolls is called ‘PLAY NOW’. PLAY NOW bats have been pre-prepared (pressed, oiled and hand knocked in by Gray-Nicolls) and are ready to be used straight off the shelf. For best results however, you should use against an older ball in the nets before heading into a game against a new ball.

It’s a little confusing but there are also Gray-Nicolls bats that have 'Ready Play' on the sticker, but 'Ready Play' models will still need to be properly knocked in before use. Shop the full Gray-Nicolls bat range here.

With Gunn & Moore, ‘GM NOW’ marked bats have been very lightly oiled and pre-knocked in by hand in the Gunn & Moore factory in Nottingham, England.

All the new Gunn & Moore bats have ‘GM NOW’ and are ready to be used. Again, we would still highly recommend you use these bats against an older ball in the nets before facing fast bowlers with a new ball. Shop the Gunn & Moore bat range here.

For the avoidance of doubt all other bat models and brands we stock are required to be properly knocked in (either by us or you!) before they are used. This means 4-6 hours using a bat mallet and at least two hours in the nets with a well used, good quality, leather ball. Check out all our Workshop Services here.