How to Hold a Cricket Bat

Using the Orthodox Grip

Lay the bat on the ground. A cricket bat has a flat side for striking the ball, and the back has a ridge, or spine, running down the middle. The spine should be facing up.

Make a 'V' shape defined by the thumb and forefinger of both hands. Hold your hands in front of you, palms down. Your fingers on both hands should be grouped together, but for your thumbs, which extend to the sides to form the 'V' shape. The 'V's should be upside down – i.e. open end towards the ground. Maintain this 'V' shape as you reach for the bat.

Line up your grip with the spine of the bat. As you grip the handle, keep your two 'V's facing downward (towards the bat handle), so that the inflection point of the 'V's (where the base of your thumb and forefinger meet) on both hands is in line with the spine along the backside of the bat blade. If you tilt your hands slightly so that the 'V's formed by your thumbs and forefingers are aligned with the part of the bat that lies between the spine and edge of the bat, this will give you more power when cutting or pulling the ball, and by changing the angle of the bat face, help to keep the ball on the ground. Both the cut and pull are cross-bat shots utilizing a horizontal swing to hit the ball on a trajectory perpendicular to the direction of the bowl. The cut shot uses a shorter swing to hit the ball in the direction the batter is facing (the off side). The pull uses a longer swing to hit the ball to the part of the field behind him as he faces the batter (the leg side).

Make sure your hands are in the middle of the handle. Your dominant (top) hand should be closer to the top of the handle, and your other (bottom) hand should be closer to the bat blade. Putting your hands in the middle of handle gives the best combination of power and control. A high grip (hands towards the end of the handle) will generate more power. This is good for playing vertical shots (when the bat is swung upward at the ball on a vertical plane) that drive the ball. A low grip, or “choking” the bat (hands towards the blade of the bat) will give you more control. This is good for horizontal or cross-bat shots (when the bat is swung horizontally, as in baseball).

Keep a distance of about two fingers between your hands. The closer you place your hands, the more power and less control you have. Moving them further apart will give you more control at the expense of power.

Keep your top hand firm and your bottom hand relaxed. Imagine you were holding a baby chick with your bottom hand; that is the amount of pressure to apply. You want your grip to be loose so that during your backswing, the bottom three fingers can come away from the bat, which is guided by only the thumb and forefinger of your bottom hand. This allows for a fuller swing.

Hit a variety of shots with the orthodox grip. This grip allows you to hit cross-batted shots, while also keeping the face of the bat square to the ball when hitting vertical shots, thus minimizing the danger of edging the ball. Edging is when the ball is struck with the edge of the bat instead of the face. These glancing shots are often caught for an out by the wicket keeper or the slips – fielders who are positioned behind the batter.

Trying the 'O' Shaped Grip

Start with the orthodox grip, then rotate your bottom hand so your fingers are fully under the bat when the flat side is facing downward. In the orthodox grip, only the tips of your fingers will rest under the bat handle when the flat side faces downward. With the 'O' shaped grip, your entire fingers will rest under the bat. This means you will rotate the 'V' formed by the thumb and forefinger of your bottom hand – counterclockwise if your right hand is the bottom one, clockwise if your left – so that the 'V' faces the edge of the bat. If you are holding the flat side of the bat downwards, this means the 'V' formed by your bottom hand will now be oriented horizontally to the ground, rather than facing downwards.

Use the 'O' shaped grip for more power on cross-batted shots. This grip feels more natural than the orthodox grip, but because it gives the bottom hand more influence, it leads to swinging across the line (laterally to the ball), which makes it harder to hit vertical shots.

Know that batters often adopt this technique when using bats that are too heavy for them. If you find yourself having a hard time making solid contact on vertical swings, or often edging the ball behind to the keeper or slips, then you may need to try a lighter bat, which allows you to use a more orthodox grip.

Trying the Knott Grip

Start with the orthodox grip, then rotate your top hand around the handle. Rotate clockwise if your top hand is your left hand, or counterclockwise if it is your right. Keep rotating until the back of your top hand is almost facing the same direction as the back of your bottom hand. If holding the flat side of the bat towards the ground, the 'V' formed by the thumb and forefinger of your top hand should now right side up – i.e. the 'V' should open upwards.

Use the Knott grip to better hit fast, short bowling. This grip was developed by Alan Knott to deal with fast bowling and high rising balls. It allows for an extremely fast, short swing, perfect for cutting the ball. Fast bowling – Fast bowlers specialize in bowling the ball fast, as opposed to generating spin. Bowling over 87mph (140kmph) is generally considered fast bowling. The fastest bowlers can throw the ball over 96 mph (154 km/h) (155kmph). Short bowling – In cricket, the ball is usually bounced before it reaches the batter. Fast bowlers often bounce the ball well short of the batter, so that it rises to chest or head height as it reaches them. A quick bat helps the batsman to hit shots at waist to shoulder height.

Be aware that the Knott grip makes it difficult to generate power. Because this grip limits the extension of your arms, it also limits the ability to create power. It is best for working singles or twos (the two batsmen run to each other's end of the pitch one or two times) as opposed to hitting boundaries (the ball is hit out of the field of play).