Questions Regarding Cricket Equipment (Bats, Pads, Gloves etc)

[cric_fan82]

Thanks for the advice Uzair

 

[xkalibur80]

Just hung up the phone with Shakeel Bhai (UT Sports).

Prices of bats, pads and gloves (as many requested) [26June 2010] are;

CA 12000 Plus Bat: Rs. 15,000
CA 12000 Plus Limited Edition Bat: Rs. 20,000
AS V3 Bat: Rs. 8,500
AS V10 Bat: Rs. 11,000
MB Malik Bubber Sher (Laminated) Bat: Rs. 10,000
MB Malik Bubber Sher Limited Edition Bat: Rs. 14,500
MB Malik Bubber Sher Pads: Rs. 2500
MB Malik Bubber Sher Gloves: Rs. 2000
Boom Boom 5 Star Bat (Shahid Afridi): Rs. 18,000
Boom Boom 5 Star Pads: Rs. 2700
Boom Boom 4 Star Bat (Abdul Razzaq): Rs. 15,000
Boom Boom 3 Star Bat (Fawad Alam): Rs. 10,000
Boom Boom 2 Star Bat (Umar Gul): Rs. 7500
Ihsan Inferno 950 Bat: Rs. 11,500
Ihsan Inferno 950 Gloves: Rs. 1500
Ihsan Inferno 950 Pads: Rs. 2000
Ihsan Inferno 950 Wicketkeeping Pads: Rs. 1100-1300 (He did not have these in stock but could be ordered if anyone wante them)
Ihsan Inferno 950 Wicketkeeping Gloves: Rs. 2000

Hope it helps!

I am sure these prices are up for bargaining as when I was in Karachi, I was able to negotiate CA12000 to Rs 13500 and Bubber Sher (not LE) to Rs 9000.

I got my eyes on CA12000 LE - wouldn`t be a bad bargain for Rs 18000 which is around CDN $220

 

[Uzi_Sports]

I don't think you will be able to get any CA Cheaper than the prices in the list. They are basically same price what they sell at the factory.

Regards

Asad

 

[xkalibur80]

I don't think you will be able to get any CA Cheaper than the prices in the list. They are basically same price what they sell at the factory.

Regards

Asad

Probably true for CA12000 LE.....I was able to get the pricing on the CA12000 to 13500 from 15000 when I was in Pak back in Jan.

Then again, I was buying the entire team kit may be that's why.

 

[cricketer13]

I don't think you will be able to get any CA Cheaper than the prices in the list. They are basically same price what they sell at the factory.

Regards

Asad

Asad bhai I have to disagree as both UT and MD get special discounts from these factories so they can bring down their prices even further.

 

[sothos2]

hi..
does anyone hv any experience dealing with assport sialkot?.. hv no intention to badmouth them, but it seem that after 4 days i havent received any reply yet frm them.. last time they reply, they tell me the special price they are offering and after my reply, complete silence.. i called waqas, but he seems so bz and said he will reply my email (thats 3 days ago).. i wanna buy AS V10 and they offered me 110usd.anyone used this bat before? how is it different frm V3? tq

 

[Cover Drive]

Asad bhai I have to disagree as both UT and MD get special discounts from these factories so they can bring down their prices even further.

It's quite obvious that every retailer does have a margin for bargaining so I am sure UT will have Rs. 500-1000 margin for bargaining.

 

[Cover Drive]

hi..
does anyone hv any experience dealing with assport sialkot?.. hv no intention to badmouth them, but it seem that after 4 days i havent received any reply yet frm them.. last time they reply, they tell me the special price they are offering and after my reply, complete silence.. i called waqas, but he seems so bz and said he will reply my email (thats 3 days ago).. i wanna buy AS V10 and they offered me 110usd.anyone used this bat before? how is it different frm V3? tq

I have never dealt directly with AS Sports Sailko but I can assure you they are really good. Few members on this forum have bought stuff from them and they are really happy with AS service and quality.

Opener Bhai, has bought V10 and InshALLAh he will upload pictures soon and you can see the difference yourself.

 

[Cover Drive]

Another thing today iits weekend so I wouldn't expect them to reply as they might (most likely) be closed.

 

[sothos2]

thanks uzair.. i'm a bit worried actually...

 

[cricketer13]

Uzair bhai, good news I can get one kit bag full with cricket stuff from UT as someone is coming soon. Let me know if you need something.

 

[Cover Drive]

MashALLAH! May ALLAH (SWT) reward and bles you immensely for such good intention and offer. JazakALLAH Khair Bhai. InshALLAH I will be going to Pakistan myself so will buy it myself.

Once again JazakALLAH Khair for the offer

 

[Sakss]

Just hung up the phone with Shakeel Bhai (UT Sports).

Prices of bats, pads and gloves (as many requested) [26June 2010] are;

CA 12000 Plus Bat: Rs. 15,000
CA 12000 Plus Limited Edition Bat: Rs. 20,000
AS V3 Bat: Rs. 8,500
AS V10 Bat: Rs. 11,000
MB Malik Bubber Sher (Laminated) Bat: Rs. 10,000
MB Malik Bubber Sher Limited Edition Bat: Rs. 14,500
MB Malik Bubber Sher Pads: Rs. 2500
MB Malik Bubber Sher Gloves: Rs. 2000
Boom Boom 5 Star Bat (Shahid Afridi): Rs. 18,000
Boom Boom 5 Star Pads: Rs. 2700
Boom Boom 4 Star Bat (Abdul Razzaq): Rs. 15,000
Boom Boom 3 Star Bat (Fawad Alam): Rs. 10,000
Boom Boom 2 Star Bat (Umar Gul): Rs. 7500
Ihsan Inferno 950 Bat: Rs. 11,500
Ihsan Inferno 950 Gloves: Rs. 1500
Ihsan Inferno 950 Pads: Rs. 2000
Ihsan Inferno 950 Wicketkeeping Pads: Rs. 1100-1300 (He did not have these in stock but could be ordered if anyone wante them)
Ihsan Inferno 950 Wicketkeeping Gloves: Rs. 2000

Hope it helps!

CD bhai,,

do u have any pics of the boom boom bats....and any reviews??

 

[cricketer13]

CD bhai,,

do u have any pics of the boom boom bats....and any reviews??

Sakss bhai, if you dont mind me answering then Boom Boom is just overpriced at the moment. You can buy Ihsan Inferno 950 which is the same bat as Boom Boom just different stickers.

 

[Sakss]

Sakss bhai, if you dont mind me answering then Boom Boom is just overpriced at the moment. You can buy Ihsan Inferno 950 which is the same bat as Boom Boom just different stickers.

np bhai...so are boom boom bats made by ihsan too?

is this the same bat gayle is using???

 

[bigfan]

What is the difference between glove like Puma ballistic 5000 and ones with Pittard leather?

Who sells gloves with the quartz leather?

What is the diamond pattern on these two gloves?

How do some of you guys bat with the sausage finer gloves? I cant stand them you cant bend your fingers enough to grip the bat. I need at least 2 splits per finger.

 

[Cover Drive]

np bhai...so are boom boom bats made by ihsan too?

is this the same bat gayle is using???

Yes, Boom Boom bats are made by Ihsan.

Ihsan Inferno 950 is the one used by Gayle

 

[Cover Drive]

What is the difference between glove like Puma ballistic 5000 and ones with Pittard leather?

Who sells gloves with the quartz leather?

What is the diamond pattern on these two gloves?

How do some of you guys bat with the sausage finer gloves? I cant stand them you cant bend your fingers enough to grip the bat. I need at least 2 splits per finger.

Pittard leather is better than normal calf plam because it is more comfortable, softer and has better sweat absoprtion.

Pardon me but whats Quartz leather?

Diamond pattern? Are you referring to palm or what?

i never liked suasage style gloves butwhen you wear them couple of times tehn you do get used to them and they work good. Apart from that I have noticed that if gloves are soft then you don't feel much.

 

[bigfan]

Yeah if you look at normal gloves they have smooth leather on the palm. But on the two above they have the diamond pattern.
Is it softer more like suede or alacantra?
Is this where the premium gloves are heading? instead of smooth leather this diamond pattern?

Anymore info on these laminated bats...Are they only available in the mongoose style 3/4 length blade? What two types of wood are they "laminating" together? are they using it like plywood? one grain one way then the next at 90* and so on.

 

[Knightrider]

Got the CHAMP laminated bat today but am not home atm. My dad recieve it.
Uzair i'll send you pics and tell you how the bat performs later when i go home. Yaad rakna wohi baat

 

[sabz86]

Back in may i had a bat, personally crafted infront of me to my specific requirements and wants, for Rs.14000.00

long story short when i was in sialkot for a few days visited the malik factory and zulfiqar malik in particular. whilst in his office i noticed a bat totally different to the "players" bats that they were trying to sell me like a fool.

he wasnt in his office at this stage, so i took the liberty to weigh this bat, 2.10lbs, but the profile, without a word of a lie, was 3 times larger than the bats they were selling. The bat was sitting on a rack up on his wall, without stickers.


when he came into the room i asked can u make me a bat like this...to which his reply was "absolutely not"...i queried why, and he explained that this was a test bat that they didnt make. i was not convinced, as ive had 17 years experience with cricket and cricket equipment. Malik noticed i was whispering to my father and brother, to which he replied in urdu "do not be afraid, speak whats in ur mind, there no need to be worried.."

so i replied "the reason you wont tell me about this bat is because it is a players bat, and you do not want to admit this..." He smiled and said nothing else for a while, and then replied, "ok you tell me whose bat this is..."
i told him that he should tell as the bat is made from his factory sitting in his office, so he would know. finally he said he could not expose whose bat this was.

The damage was done though, he realised that the 4 guys in his office (my father, brother, cousin and myself) were no fools, and knew the bats he was selling in his showroom were not "players" bats as they are trying to convince everyone.

he said "ok, you come tumoro at 3pm, i will have 3 pieces of wood for you, you select you own 2, sit with my bat makers, take this bat, explain to them exactly how u want it, what u want done, and then u pick the best one, the other i will keep".

the next day i turned up in great excitement and anticipation of what was to come. let me say it was one of the most enjoyable times of my cricketing career. i was treated very well, taken through 4-5 different rooms by Mr. Malik, where they performed different operations of bat making.

after approx. 65-70 mins, what started off as a plank of wood, was turned into this weapon of my own specific design. The craftsmen (artists as i called them at the time), consulted me at every process, constantly handing me the bat at its various stages and asking "bhai, theek hai na.."! what summed there level of service was when the handle was being shaved and created, the maker even asked me, "what shape would you like it, round, oval, or fatter at the top". i thought this was great.

finally, my dream bat was made, handle in place, it actually looked great as a plain profile with no stickers. Alas, Zulfiqar malik picked up the bat, looked at it, gave it to some other business man in the office, and said "look at this bat, this young lad has forced me and stolen this from inside me..just look at it.."

he personally pulled the stickers out of his desk draw and applied them himself.

He then handed it over to me, gave me the bill, which was Rs. 15,000. I handed him 3 Rs.5000 notes, to which he looked at them, pulled out a One thousand rupee note, handed it to my dad, and said "this is for respect, for respect of knowledge..."

to this day im still amazed at his hospitality and service...!

pics will be up soon..

 

[bigfan]

Great story sabz, you say they began with a cleft, they added the handle you wanted, sculpted to your specifications.

How did they put the handle in the bat and give it to you all in the one day? It should take 24 hours for the handle to set.

Curious about your process, I would think the bat in a way designs itself, based on weight. In order to achieve balance you need to centralise the weight, assuming the cleft is relatively consistent weight the length of the cleft you can only make it so big before the weight distribution ruins the pickup. What Im asking is what techniques did they use to help the pickup while increasing power?

There are a couple of factors that determine the power of a bat. I will say that I don't know everything and that I'm always open to learning but my first rule of power is F = MA, where F is force of striking the ball. Thus is you have a heavier bat (M) then for same acceleration F increases. Though this does not take into account the elastic/rebound qualities of English Willow. or the properties of the ball to transfer energy. Also a lighter bat allows greater acceleration and thus a higher F which is the trade off isn't it. Some prefer heavier bats others prefer lighter.

 

[cric_fan82]

good read sabz86

 

[Cover Drive]

sabz86 Bhai it was a great read. It is quite obvious and common that the professional players use special bats and not the offshelfs one even though stickers are same. It does make sense because international players are given first priority rather than local customer. Gilchrist once in commentatory said that the bats profesional player use are not seen but local people like you and me.

You are a lucky person to get hold of such bats because not many can get these bats.

 

[Cover Drive]

Yeah if you look at normal gloves they have smooth leather on the palm. But on the two above they have the diamond pattern.
Is it softer more like suede or alacantra?
Is this where the premium gloves are heading? instead of smooth leather this diamond pattern?

Anymore info on these laminated bats...Are they only available in the mongoose style 3/4 length blade? What two types of wood are they "laminating" together? are they using it like plywood? one grain one way then the next at 90* and so on.

The above pictured gloves have pittard palm which is premium palm compare to normal palm.

Actually what these laminated bats are that it's has two different pieces of wood which are glued/connected together and this makes bat stronger. Furthermore, the bat also pings more compared to a normal bat. In addition, a heavy profile bat is obtained at lower weight.

Mongoose is not a laminated bat. You can find laminated bats in regular size as well as T20 size.

Was in rush so couldn't write much (Sorry). However, if you have any question please ask as I would love to answer it.

Take Care,
Regards

 

[Sakss]

Yes, Boom Boom bats are made by Ihsan.

Ihsan Inferno 950 is the one used by Gayle

any idea of the price of the inferno, CD bhai'??from Pakistan?
can i get a 2.7 or 2.8?

 

[cricketer13]

any idea of the price of the inferno, CD bhai'??from Pakistan?
can i get a 2.7 or 2.8?

I ordered one Ihsan Inferno 950 in 2.7 yesterday for 11000 rupees from UT along with three other bats.

 

[Knightrider]

Pictures of my CHAMP laminated grade 1 English Willow bat. Weight is 2.12 with 1 grip and about 42mm edges.

 

[sothos2]

majid, where did u buy this bat and how much? i try to purchase SFv900 laminated bat frm onlinestockist but they dont have anymore in stock

 

[Knightrider]

Yo i got this bat from duck and run and it was especially arranged for me. I think onlinestockist will soon have more SF laminated bats available.

 

[cricketer13]

Uzair bhai, I ordered 4 new bats including latest Inferno 950 and new MB Bubber Sher. Also, I am getting PUMA gloves Pakistani made (hopefully they are as good as original).
Kind of in dilemma whether I should buy AS V10 as well. Let me know what you think as I still have 2 more days before my order gets to my cousin's place.

 

[Cover Drive]

I have Pakistani Puma gloves picture somewhere in my email. If you want I can search for you. And by the way, they are UT Sports one.

Sherry Bhai, I can vouch for V10. Mere Bhai please buy it and I guarantee you will like it. If you don't like it I will sell it for you lol. V10 will for sure suit your batting style as well. I saw Naveed Bhai's V3 and it is very good. Pickup, balance etc was superb.

 

[sabz86]

Great story sabz, you say they began with a cleft, they added the handle you wanted, sculpted to your specifications.

How did they put the handle in the bat and give it to you all in the one day? It should take 24 hours for the handle to set.

Curious about your process, I would think the bat in a way designs itself, based on weight. In order to achieve balance you need to centralise the weight, assuming the cleft is relatively consistent weight the length of the cleft you can only make it so big before the weight distribution ruins the pickup. What Im asking is what techniques did they use to help the pickup while increasing power?

There are a couple of factors that determine the power of a bat. I will say that I don't know everything and that I'm always open to learning but my first rule of power is F = MA, where F is force of striking the ball. Thus is you have a heavier bat (M) then for same acceleration F increases. Though this does not take into account the elastic/rebound qualities of English Willow. or the properties of the ball to transfer energy. Also a lighter bat allows greater acceleration and thus a higher F which is the trade off isn't it. Some prefer heavier bats others prefer lighter.

very interesting and well thought out post of yours there.

firstly regarding the bat made for myself. it came as a cleft but with the handle already inserted. what i meant when i said they designed it for me, was the the handle was already in place but hadnt been shaped, it was still rectangular in shape, and the craftsman used a chisel to shape it to my specifications (circular).

with regards to your formula in determining power of bat. at first sight, you formula looks accurate, but then i pondered factors which coulld vary the result of your formula.

your formula force= batspeed x batweight implies that simply by having a heavyweighted bat, which would enable greater batspeed, you would have greated force. This is incorrect.

As you pointed out, with english willow qualities such as elasticity/rebound effect are of great importance. this is the MAIN difference between shelf top grade bats and players bats. you can have both bats weighing the same, with similar profiles, which would essentially give you the same batspeed, which inturn multiplied by weight should give you the same force, WRONG!! we know there is much difference still between the two.

after much research and thinking on the topic this is what i have come up with.
The main difference with top grade sale bats and players bats is the moisture in the willow. Players bats are much drier than ats we buy as amateurs. this has two big effects on quality.

1. Drier wood is of a softer, springier nature, not having the dullness of wet wood, thus creating greater elasticity/zip on impact with the ball

2. Drier wood is much lighter, meaning that with players bats, there is a whole lot more wood at a certain weight (ie 2.11lbs), in comparison to a sale bat of the same weight. Both will weigh the same, have the same shape and balancing proportions, but the players bat will be much thicker, particularly at the "meat". this will give the bat much more force, as it has the added power of the extra wood.

so basically these two factors outline the differences between the two types of bats, the difference between top grade, and international players bats.

There are a couple reasons why these bats arent made available to the general public, in my mind

firstly and most obviously these bats are reserved rightfully so for the top players.
secondly and probably more importantly to the business of bat companies, is the moisture in the sale bats.

Whilst the moisture will not give as good an effect as the players bats, it will hold the wood together, betterm for longer, meaning that your bats should not break for a long time, unless u are unlucky.

Players bats, whilst having that extra special standard, do not have a long lifespan, essentially they go better, quicker, for a shorter period of time.

This is fine for bat companies and players, as the players are given an unlimited supply of these pieces of wood, so it makes no difference to both parties if these batso nly last 2 months, they only care about performance, the batsmen for their own performance, and the companies the performance of their brand on the world stage.

Obviously if these bats were sold to amateurs, who could possibly only afford one bat every 1-2 seasons, the consquences would not be so great for the company. Amateur players cannot have bats lasting only 2-6 months, and the company cannot let it be shown that their bats only last this long.

these two factors to me explain why we do not have these bats in our hands, i would love to hear other thoughts on the matter!!

 

[Cover Drive]

The T20 bats which are being made now are made of low density/dried cleft because of the thickness you get. If it was normal cleft then it a batmaker would never have been able to make such thick bat in such low weight.

Professional player bats are also very soft pressed. This is done because a player want performance out of the bat and thats most important thing for them. They don't go after cosmetic issues like we do instead they look will it perform for them in short run. Soft pressed bats are not long lasting at all. Thats why we see professional players bat ping alot!

As far purchasing goes professional players are gven account and in that account specific amount/credit is given to the player which depends on the player (how good he is etc)

 

[bigfan]

Ive always been taught that an object travels further when more energy is transfered to it. So to hit a cricket ball (which is actually quite decent for transferring energy into compared to say a tennis ball) further you need to transfer energy from the bat, now the best transmission, I maintain is from hard/solid/dense objects not elastic/rebound objects.

Now I don't have a lot of experience with this in cricket, but I have seen and read a little bit in regards to golf and golf balls in particular. (think why they changed to metal drivers from wood)

I'm trying to work out what will cause/help a bat to hit with more power. I wonder if any bat company has actually broken it down scientifically like this or whether they just try and keep to traditions of shape, material, looks in order to cater to the buying public who buy because they only know what they are told, and being told what ever is being sold is whats best.

 

[Koenigsegg]

Pretty good question bigfan. I guess you will need to take into consideration the structure of the ball as well if you are looking into a scientific explanation. The ball itself is not rock solid and the willow has both qualities ... the hardness of the wood and elasticity of the fibers.

Cricket bats are made mainly from English Willow or Kashmir Willow, and the main difference between the two is derived from their growing conditions. Kashmir willow is traditionally grown in dryer conditions and therefore has a lower moisture content than that of English willow, which is traditionally planted next to a water course.

It is this lack of moisture that makes the fibres within the wood less able to spring and rebound, which in turns makes the wood harder. It is also because of the lack of moisture that Kashmir willow tends to be more brittle and suffer from a shortened life span.

However, a top quality Kashmir bat can (and often will) play as well if not better than a low grade 3 English willow bat, especially if chosen correctly. Accordingly, if the bat is well maintained there is no reason to expect a dramatically shorter life span either.

Another example you might wanna take into consideration to further understand the mechanics is a skyer bat ... which in fact has a solid base and a thick hard rubber type very dense elastic surface. These bats are used by coaches and with minimal effort the ball is hit miles in the air for catching practice.

I guess Uncle Sam will agree with me.

 

[BoomBoomAli]

I saw Fawad Alam wearing GM pads in the tour game.. BoomBoom not got him fully strapped as yet then

 

[Knightrider]

Fawad always uses different pads. He used SF powerbow pads when he was sponsored by malik and ihsan.

 

[Cover Drive]

I agree with Majid Bhai that Fawad has never used proper sponsor pads. He always use other pads which are not his sponsors.

However, I find these GM pads quite often in Pakistan dressing room as Butt and Farhat also wore these pads when we were at Australia tour.

Anyone knows which one are they? Aren't they 909 Lite?

 

[Sakss]

I ordered one Ihsan Inferno 950 in 2.7 yesterday for 11000 rupees from UT along with three other bats.

bhai please post some pictures when you get it.

 

[Sakss]

anyone used these pads before??any good?i got them for 35AED in sale.

 

[Cover Drive]

anyone used these pads before??any good?i got them for 35AED in sale.

I haven't used that specific model pads, however, for the price you paid for them they look awesome and look great. I believe you play club cricket so for that level these pads would be great and would do the trick for you.

 

[bigfan]

Those pads look like older models, the 2009 pads had a silver inside padding so either they are different market to what Im used to or they are pre 2009 model.
I have used a pair of 505's they were light, comfy and protective. those look like they have a thick knee roll.

 

[Cover Drive]

Purist is old range and is not in market for last 2-4 years as it had been replaced with new names etc. Although they are old but for $10 you won't find any better pads than this.

 

[Knightrider]

Received CA gel Laminated bat from Armie today. 2.10/2.11, 40mm edges, 10 grains, very good balanced pick up. Will do a review in few days.

 

[bigfan]

That looks good majid, what does the "carbon composite" mean? carbon handle?

How does one find out about where to buy these laminated bats? Can you get in any trouble for using them in a game? as in if someone spots it, tells the umpire?

Is there such a thing as a corked cricket bat? Ive heard about baseball bats being corked.

 

[Cover Drive]

bigfan, I hope you don't mind me answering your questions.

I think it means carbon handle although I am not precisely sure as I haven't heard those terminologies before.

Actually lots of retailers sell laminated bats and to be honest it is not hard to find them. Laminated bats are not a big deal as it is hyped (lol). It is illegal to use in international matches but in league games at club level it is fine and umpires won't have problem. For instance, if Shahid Afridi uses a laminated bat and umpire finds out then he will get fined by the ICC. Now days these laminated bats are made so professionally that it is hard to tell whether its laminated or not. By laminated bats you achieve thickness and more ping compare to a regular bat. A day or two ago I saw a Bubber Sher which was in 2.7-2.9ish range and it had 45 mm edges and was huge. I got surprised seeing this bat and I immediately thought it was laminated but it wasn't

I haven't heard of corked cricket bat at all.

 

[Cover Drive]

Not sure if other people noticed it that Aamer, Gul and Razzaq were using 4 Star Boom Boom range whereas Fawad Alam uses a 3 Star range (blue in colour)

 

[mrk]

Back in may i had a bat, personally crafted infront of me to my specific requirements and wants, for Rs.14000.00

long story short when i was in sialkot for a few days visited the malik factory and zulfiqar malik in particular. whilst in his office i noticed a bat totally different to the "players" bats that they were trying to sell me like a fool.

he wasnt in his office at this stage, so i took the liberty to weigh this bat, 2.10lbs, but the profile, without a word of a lie, was 3 times larger than the bats they were selling. The bat was sitting on a rack up on his wall, without stickers.


when he came into the room i asked can u make me a bat like this...to which his reply was "absolutely not"...i queried why, and he explained that this was a test bat that they didnt make. i was not convinced, as ive had 17 years experience with cricket and cricket equipment. Malik noticed i was whispering to my father and brother, to which he replied in urdu "do not be afraid, speak whats in ur mind, there no need to be worried.."

so i replied "the reason you wont tell me about this bat is because it is a players bat, and you do not want to admit this..." He smiled and said nothing else for a while, and then replied, "ok you tell me whose bat this is..."
i told him that he should tell as the bat is made from his factory sitting in his office, so he would know. finally he said he could not expose whose bat this was.

The damage was done though, he realised that the 4 guys in his office (my father, brother, cousin and myself) were no fools, and knew the bats he was selling in his showroom were not "players" bats as they are trying to convince everyone.

he said "ok, you come tumoro at 3pm, i will have 3 pieces of wood for you, you select you own 2, sit with my bat makers, take this bat, explain to them exactly how u want it, what u want done, and then u pick the best one, the other i will keep".

the next day i turned up in great excitement and anticipation of what was to come. let me say it was one of the most enjoyable times of my cricketing career. i was treated very well, taken through 4-5 different rooms by Mr. Malik, where they performed different operations of bat making.

after approx. 65-70 mins, what started off as a plank of wood, was turned into this weapon of my own specific design. The craftsmen (artists as i called them at the time), consulted me at every process, constantly handing me the bat at its various stages and asking "bhai, theek hai na.."! what summed there level of service was when the handle was being shaved and created, the maker even asked me, "what shape would you like it, round, oval, or fatter at the top". i thought this was great.

finally, my dream bat was made, handle in place, it actually looked great as a plain profile with no stickers. Alas, Zulfiqar malik picked up the bat, looked at it, gave it to some other business man in the office, and said "look at this bat, this young lad has forced me and stolen this from inside me..just look at it.."

he personally pulled the stickers out of his desk draw and applied them himself.

He then handed it over to me, gave me the bill, which was Rs. 15,000. I handed him 3 Rs.5000 notes, to which he looked at them, pulled out a One thousand rupee note, handed it to my dad, and said "this is for respect, for respect of knowledge..."

to this day im still amazed at his hospitality and service...!

pics will be up soon..

I have also been in MB factory 3 times. Bhought 3 bats in all. I payed what they asked 10 000 - 12 000 and did not got same service as u But i was taken to a room on 2nd flour trough there meeting office were they had few nice willows but i chosed not to buy for some reason last time and went to Lahore to buy from monty sports.

Zulfiqar Malik is very nice person even nicer is his brother Zaid Malik. BUT bats i bhought from them wasnt like WAO so next time will complain why u got this service and not me Maybe i will also allowed to watch how bat are made.

I have posted pictures form my visit befor in old posts.

 

[Sakss]

majid bhai is CA Gel a new range??havnt really heard of it before?

 

[Cover Drive]

Not a new range but new bat in CA's catalogue.

 

[Cover Drive]

Majid Bhai, MashALLAH this looks like a top notch bat as well. Both of your laminated bats are top notch.

I thought you had sold your SF Saphire a while ago?

 

[bigfan]

Cover drive thanks for your information. Im always wanting to learn new things.
How do you know so much?

Does anyone have information for contact the Ishan factory?

Majid, I am scared to buy from onlinestockist website, I know of people waiting more than 1 month for one custom bat. They changed supplier of the custom made bat. Also my friend who has seen the website said he brings a new bat on his website and 2 days before hand a customer has already reviewed the bat.

 

[Oxy]

Cover drive thanks for your information. Im always wanting to learn new things.
How do you know so much?

.

He asks me - I tell him the answers, and he takes the credit on PP.

 

[dhump]

Ok so here I am presenting my case and I hope to get some advice from gurus and everyone who is willing to help .

I bought 2 Ihsan bats 1 month ago (Inferno 950 and Opener) both are of high quality and I loved them I felt that they are a little heavy (2lb 13oz) but I can manage, so i bought them and travel with a happy heart posted pictures over PP.So like a happy kid tried it out 1 or 2 times in the net I felt that I am not moving that fast and missing few specially from quick bowlers, I also felt that my bat is coming a little slower and I am missing balls that are short and passing around my waist area and above but still I kept the faith that I can adjust.

First match I played with this bat I was able to see the ball pretty well I stayed at the crease for 16 overs but I was only able to score 18 with 1 six in it and there were lots of opportunities where I swinged and missed I also felt that I feel very very tiered and cant hold my bat up for a higher cut shots or a Pull and this bad form continues I scored 16 in next game then 20 and this week in a T20 game I scored another 20 but was so tiered after swinging and missing that I was run out tiered and to mention before these bats I was doing pretty good scored 2 half centuries and and 2 40 odds.

Now I want to buy a new bat some thing light but good please advice me which one to buy I will buy it from Karachi so it is good if its available something like Malik,Ihsan or Pakistani made bats, and any idea to check the weight how good it is for me and stuff.

Thank you in Advance.

 

[Oxy]

^

2lb 13oz is a pretty hefty piece of willow. Will tire your wrists out if you arent used to it - and they will definately affect your stokeply (eg getting to the ball to late etc)

What bats weight do you normally use?

 

[dhump]

Yes Oxy i felt the same. I was using 2lb 7-8 it was un-branded bat without any sticker so there I cant be really precise I weighted it my self with less sophisticated equipment.

 

[Oxy]

I used a Slazenger 2lb 4oz bat (long time ago!!!)

I then bought a 2lb 12oz bat and TBH, I couldnt time the ball, I couldnt get to the ball, my wrists became tired - then they ached after a while.

Went back to a 2lb 4oz and all was fine again.

Heavy, Asian bats arent good for all.

 

[dhump]

WOW 2lb 4oz would be like a feather ?? do you have any idea if I can get similar weighted bat in seniors category or is it fine to play with a Juniors bat I never really tried and don't know the difference.

 

[cric_fan82]

got my bats from Ajit today here are some the pics

the one with green grip has very good ping and the other one looks more stable, i dont know which one should i keep for my self as the green one also has blemish, the other doesnt have any but ping isnt that good.

 

[Cover Drive]

Bigfan: No worries mate, ask me as much you want to.

As far my knowledge goes I don't know much.

Its all about Oxy Bhai and his teachings

Dhump Bhai,

Sometimes apart from the weight position of sweetspot, balance and pickup makes a bat heavier for a person. For instance, a low sweetspot 2.7 bat will feel like a 2.9ish whereas a high sweetspot bat which weighs 2.7 will feel ligther.

Anyways, coming back to your point your bats sounds to be really heavy so I would recommend you something around 2.8ish. Again when buying Asian or Pakistani bats it is not guranteed that you will get precise weight of your specs unless you are not at the store/factory. Sometimes given weight (which sticker says) is less or more than the actual weight. So I would recommend you to buy a high sweetspot bat such as CA in 2.8ish as I feel it will be great for you. I am not too sure if you are fan of CA as you didn't mention it

Bare me for any mistakes as I was typing from my phone

 

[cric_fan82]

by the ping isnt that good i meant, the ping is not as good as the green one

 

[Cover Drive]

Cric_fan82 both bat look great! I hope they go well for you and you score tons of runs with them!

Just wondering what's the weight and if you could post a picture of there profiles?

 

[cric_fan82]

i ordered 2.8 but it feels a tad heavier, what do you mean by the picture of there profiles

 

[Cover Drive]

I guess that is because green one has more grains compare to black one. Higher the number of grains quicker the bat opens.

 

[cric_fan82]

so you mean with time, the other bat would open up too? if you had these two bats which one would you keep?

 

[02thoeva]

bigfan, I hope you don't mind me answering your questions.

I think it means carbon handle although I am not precisely sure as I haven't heard those terminologies before.

Actually lots of retailers sell laminated bats and to be honest it is not hard to find them. Laminated bats are not a big deal as it is hyped (lol). It is illegal to use in international matches but in league games at club level it is fine and umpires won't have problem. For instance, if Shahid Afridi uses a laminated bat and umpire finds out then he will get fined by the ICC. Now days these laminated bats are made so professionally that it is hard to tell whether its laminated or not. By laminated bats you achieve thickness and more ping compare to a regular bat. A day or two ago I saw a Bubber Sher which was in 2.7-2.9ish range and it had 45 mm edges and was huge. I got surprised seeing this bat and I immediately thought it was laminated but it wasn't

I haven't heard of corked cricket bat at all.

Laminated bats have nothing to do with the size of the bat. The performance gain comes from a hard layer on top of a soft trampoline type soft layer below. Many of these bats I see have been laminated rather strangely and I'm not sure on performance benefits.

Either way they're illegal for use in all cricket. I would assume the Bubber Sher was huge as it was over dried, there's a huge number of bats coming out of Pakistan which are very dry and brittle.

 

[Cover Drive]

Laminated bats have nothing to do with the size of the bat. The performance gain comes from a hard layer on top of a soft trampoline type soft layer below. Many of these bats I see have been laminated rather strangely and I'm not sure on performance benefits.

Either way they're illegal for use in all cricket. I would assume the Bubber Sher was huge as it was over dried, there's a huge number of bats coming out of Pakistan which are very dry and brittle.

In what sense are you referring to size?

Uhmm so in other words you are saying that top layer is hard pressed and lower layer is soft pressed?

Personally I haven't seen any laminated bat either. I guess they are hyped because they are illegal and performance wise they don't benefit much.

I am sure at club level no one will care if you use a laminated bat or not.

Yes, indeed it is a over dried willow and there's no doubt lots of Pakistani bats are over dried. Some people who are thick edge bat fanatic go wild when seeing an over dried thick edges bat. My brother who went along me to that store went mad seeing that Bubber Sher as it was massive lol

 

[Cover Drive]

so you mean with time, the other bat would open up too? if you had these two bats which one would you keep?

By profile pictures I mean side pictures of edges, position of sweet spot etc

If I pick one bat from those two then it would be the black grip one because it has cleaner face and has fewer grains (which I prefer because the bat will last longer).

What I basically meant to say was that when a bat has less grains it requires more knocking and takes sometime to open up compare to the one with greater number of grains.

 

[02thoeva]

They're hyped because a couple of pros used them and they're illegal, however the pro's have them made in a special manner by one batmaker which since many batmakers have tried to replicate.

Saying no-one would care about a laminate club level is like saying no-one cares if you chuck the ball at club level, both are breaking the laws and the spirit of the game.

 

[Cover Drive]

Do you mind naming that first batmaker?

Lol it is true but the thing is that I believe that some umpires don't even know what a laminated bats are hence they won't care to check em out and see whether they are illegak or not.

 

[dhump]

Bigfan: No worries mate, ask me as much you want to.

As far my knowledge goes I don't know much.

Its all about Oxy Bhai and his teachings

Dhump Bhai,

Sometimes apart from the weight position of sweetspot, balance and pickup makes a bat heavier for a person. For instance, a low sweetspot 2.7 bat will feel like a 2.9ish whereas a high sweetspot bat which weighs 2.7 will feel ligther.

Anyways, coming back to your point your bats sounds to be really heavy so I would recommend you something around 2.8ish. Again when buying Asian or Pakistani bats it is not guranteed that you will get precise weight of your specs unless you are not at the store/factory. Sometimes given weight (which sticker says) is less or more than the actual weight. So I would recommend you to buy a high sweetspot bat such as CA in 2.8ish as I feel it will be great for you. I am not too sure if you are fan of CA as you didn't mention it

Bare me for any mistakes as I was typing from my phone

Thanks CD and I have no problems with CA or any other company can you recommend me any specific model of Asian bat because I am sure in Pakistan it will be hard for me to get any original english bat.

And thanks to explain about the sweetspot thing I never really thought about it in this manner.

There was no mistake and thank you for taking time and typing.

 

[xkalibur80]

I should be getting by SS pads and gloves from onlinestockist today....will post pictures once delivered.

 

[Cover Drive]

Brother Dhump,

First of all, the specific model selection narrows down to your budget. So what's your budget?

It is somewhat hard to find an original/genuine bat but where will you be getting yours from? I mean which city in Pakistan?

 

[cric_fan82]

this the side view of the bat

 

[dhump]

Brother Dhump,

First of all, the specific model selection narrows down to your budget. So what's your budget?

It is somewhat hard to find an original/genuine bat but where will you be getting yours from? I mean which city in Pakistan?

well I spent 20K rupees on last lot so I am willing to buy something around 18K to 20K but I just wana buy 1 bat and I will be in Karachi. Normally I buy from UT sports, but if you know any place from where I can get genuine English stuff I trust in UT guys but they don't keep any bats from outside Pakistan they have genuine CA, Ihsan and Malik bats.

 

[mrk]

got my bats from Ajit today here are some the pics

the one with green grip has very good ping and the other one looks more stable, i dont know which one should i keep for my self as the green one also has blemish, the other doesnt have any but ping isnt that good.

How much u paid for these bat ? That yellow one looks great

 

[Oxy]

Gents, can you put your toys away now? Game about to start.

 

[cric_fan82]

^^sure oxy

@MRK i paid 90 pounds with postage for one bat

 

[cricket_fan1]

contact to ihsan sports

Does anyone have information for contact the Ishan factory?

Yes I have all information to contact Ihsan factory and his sales director .
I can arrange for your tel phonic meeting with him