The Powerbow has been a very successful bat for Gray-Nicolls, but the Powerbow for 2012 will test the attitudes of some traditional Gray Nicolls fans as it is much brighter than in previous years. Some may think it’s almost going as far as Adidas in the ‘flash’ stakes, and although we don’t think it is quite that bright, it certainly is more striking and will generate some debate.

Strauss will be hoping that his move from the Quantum series will spark a return to form, and with some decent scores in the warm up game it does look like he’s got used to the performance of the bat fairly quickly.

What do you think of the bat, is it too flash for Gray-Nicolls or do they need to do this to keep up with the competition? And is July too early to be showcasing the bats for next year given that there is still a long time left in the English summer? Leave your comments in the box below and let us know!

What is the most expensive cricket bat?
You’ll be after the £1000 Newbury. If this is a bit too much for you, there are lots around the 275 mark – would you spend that much on a bat?

What bat is Stuart Broad using?
Stuart Broad has used the Adidas Libro since his move from Gunn & Moore. But with his place in the test match in jepordy at the moment, do you really want to follow in his footsteps?!

What cricket bat did you use back in the day?
A very personal question for me, thanks! I started off with an “Open Championship” bat (as used by David Gower you know!). From what I remember I then graduated onto a Slazenger V800 that I loved and scored a lot of runs with (even though the first one split and was replaced). Then I went to a Gray-Nicolls Millenium, a lightweight bat that wasn’t my finest hour, and currently I use a Gunn & Moore Catalyst, again that I love!

What cricket players use Slazenger bats?
In the current test squad, quite a few! Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan and Jimmy Anderson are all Slazenger users.

What weight bat does Alastair Cook use?
Alastair Cook uses a Gray Nicolls of about 2lb 8oz, sometimes edging towards 2lb 9oz. This sort of weight of bat has become quite well used by professionals and amateurs alike in the past few years as you currently get a lot more wood for your weight with the pressing of the bats very different to times gone by!

The test matches against India start next week, so with that in mind lets have a quick look at who is using what cricket equipment this summer! Obviously some players prefer to have their own custom bats stickered with their sponsors logos, but lets pretend for now that they are using what is stickered up!

Andrew Strauss – Has been using Gray Nicolls bats for a long time now. He currently uses Gray Nicolls cricket equipment, and his bat of choice up until recently was the Quantum series. However he has been spotted using the new Powerbow for 2012.

Alistair Cook – The new ODI captain is another Gray Nicolls cricket equipment user just like his captain. He currently uses the Oblivion cricket bat.

Jonathan Trott – Currently in stunning test match form, Trott is using the Gunn & Moore Icon to great effect right now. The Nottinghamshire based Gunn & Moore are currently getting a lot of tv time with his help!

Kevin Pietersen – Had the big money move to Adidas back in 2008 and has been using the flashy (but not to everyone’s tates) Adidas Pellara ever since.

Ian Bell – Followed KP to Adidas in 2009 after previously using Slazenger cricket equipment. Also currently in good form (like Trott), he uses the Adidas Incurza.

Eoin Morgan – Is currently in the Slazenger stable having switched recently from Kookaburra, using the V200.

Matt Prior – Is another one using Slazenger cricket equipment, using the Slazenger V500, along with all his wicket keeping equipment.

Stuart Broad – Moved from Gunn & Moore to Adidas a while back to cash in on his boyish looks!

Graeme Swann – Has switched around a bit, he used to use Gray Nicolls but is currently using the Gunn & Moore Apex cricket bat.

James Anderson – Was recently using Mongoose cricket equipment, but since their recent financial difficulties, has begun using Slazenger cricket kit. Whether this is a long term thing we wait to see!

Tim Bresnan – Will be hoping for a recall to the test team against India, and is the fourth one in the list to use Slazenger cricket equipment.

Chris Tremlett – Signed a deal year long deal with Woodworm in November 2010 although he hasn’t had much chance to bat with with their kit this past year

Steven Finn – Is another Adidas man in the squad, using the Adidas Libro when he’s required to bat

The surprising thing when looking at the list is the lack of Kookaburra and Puma sponsored players, both brands which in the past have had good exposure in the England team. Puma have interest in the ODI team with Craig Kieswetter and will be hoping that his good performances push him onto bigger and better things in the coming years. Slazenger probably aren’t seen as the most exciting brand of choice when it comes to amateurs forking out on cricket equipment, but with four players in the squad their brand is certainly getting some good exposure.

If someone gave you £1000, many things would come into your head about what to spend it on. A holiday, a car, a 3D Plasma TV, and maybe somewhere down the line you could use a small part of it and treat yourself to a new cricket bat. Well, if you decide to really treat yourself, then you’ll need the whole £1000 just for the cricket bat! That’s right, Newbery have released for 2011 the world’s most expensive cricket bat, costing a whopping £1000!

How on earth do they expect to get away with this then? Well for a start their market is pretty small, they are only going to make 25 of them, and each one will be made specifically to the requirements of the new owner. Of course at this price, you’ll be guaranteed only the top class piece of English willow, and you’ll be invited along to the Newbery workshop to design and specify the weight before watching as it is made. The bat is then individually numbered and the owners name embossed on the back of the bat, and it comes in a protective case more akin to a suitcase!

I’m not sure how I feel about this bat as there are plenty of companies who will build a bespoke cricket bat for you, and for a whole heap of change less than £1000 – and with willow being a natural ‘ingredient’, who is to say it’ll perform any better or won’t break within a season?! It may just be clever marketing from Newbery, getting people (like me!) talking about their brand, and they may find some super rich people vain enough that they want to show off to everyone in the club with their expensive bat, but I can’t help but think that those in the know will think they have way more money than sense.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on a cricket bat? Did you buy it online or would you spend the extra to have it built especially for you?

23-year old Broad moving from Gunn & Moore is somewhat of a suprise, with them being a Nottingham based company and Broad being born in Nottingham and playing for Nottinghamshire, but I imagine that money talks, and who can blame Broad for making the most he can during his career. He has turned down playing lucrative IPL cricket so far though, so money isn’t necessarily the over-riding factor in this switch, who knows. He’s got to pay for that Range Rover Sport and Jaguar XKR somehow though!

Adidas undoubtedly see Broad as someone who can market their brand well, and with his raised profile over the last year and young boy looks he will fit the bill for them pretty well. Kids will see him using the equipment and want to use the same kit as him (he should be using the Adidas Libro), and he’ll appear in numerous billboards/magzine adverts over the coming months. I’m still not sold on either the looks of the Adidas equipment, or the fact that it is being made elsewhere and Adidas stickers just being added on but hey, I’m not really their target market!

Updated for the 2010 season, the Pellara has a low and long middle designed for the player who likes to get forward and drive the ball aggressively. This season it also has a ridged profile as you can see in the images – this helps put the weight and wood where you want it most, in the middle. By reducing the amount of weight on the outside of the bat this also means it stays lightweight, as most bats need to do these days. It also helps with keeping the pick up light and balanced, without which you will never play a good shot!

The Pellara is available in various grades of wood as follows:
Adidas Pellara Elite (approx £270)
Adidas Pellara Pro (£210)
Adidas Pellara County (£160)
Adidas Pellara Club (£120)
Adidas Pellara County Junior (£80)

Despite all the fuss surrounding Adidas’ entrance into the cricket equipment market I didn’t see many of these bats on the club circuit last year, so if you like to stand out then the Adidas Pellara will certainly do that. The yellow and black colourway of the Pellara may put some people off, but it doesn’t look too brash when actually being used, it just makes a statement that you mean business!

With such a large amount of kit out there how do you choose?! Hopefully we’ll give you all the information you need to make an informed choice about what to buy yourself and where to get it from. The layout of this blog is going to change a bit to hopefully guide you around all the new content that is going to be on this site over the coming days, weeks and months.

We want to hear from you as well about what kit you want, have bought or are lusting after – so leave your comments under each post and let us know what you think.

Finally, if you think we are missing a trick about a certain company or product – please get in touch. If you are a small company there is a chance we will miss you out so please get in touch with us and let us know about your products!

I haven’t got the details of where the equipment is coming from (ie their own factories or a third party), but with already some Indian’s playing with Nike badges on their bats I suspect there will be an Indian slant to the manufacture and distribution. Apparently their spikes will still be a stupid price, but being Nike they probably think they can get away with it.

I’m not sure where I sit with another big sports brand entering the market – something like this is normally a good thing, but is it true to say they bring quality products or do they just use their brand to make money without a care for the game? I’ll stick with using a “proper” cricket manufacturer for the moment I think….