The finest cricket bats are made from the wood of which tree?

The best cricket bats are made from the wood of the willow tree, especially English willow (Salix alba var. caerulea), also called the "cricket bat willow".

Why willow is used:

• Willow wood is light but tough, and it is fibrous, so it can absorb the shock of a hard cricket ball without breaking easily.
• It has a good "spring", which helps the ball travel fast off the bat.
• English willow is softer and lighter, with straight grains, and is used for top-quality professional bats.
• Kashmir willow (grown in Jammu and Kashmir, India) is harder and heavier and is used for cheaper bats, especially for beginners and practice.
• The handle of the bat is usually made of cane (rattan), with layers of rubber to absorb shock, and covered with a rubber grip.

Laws about the bat:

• The Laws of Cricket, made by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), say that the blade of the bat must be made entirely of wood.
• The bat must not be longer than 38 inches (96.52 cm), and the blade must not be wider than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm).
• Since 2017, there are also limits on the thickness of the edges (40 mm) and the depth of the blade (67 mm).
• The rule requiring wood was strengthened after the Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee used an aluminium bat in a Test match against England in 1979.

Other woods in sport:

• Hockey sticks were traditionally made of mulberry wood; modern sticks are made of composite materials such as carbon fibre.
• Tennis rackets were once made of ash wood.
• Baseball bats are usually made of ash or maple.

Indian bat-making centres:

• Jalandhar (Punjab) and Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) are major centres for making sports goods in India.
• Kashmir (especially Anantnag and Pulwama districts) is known for its willow bat industry.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Teak is a hard, heavy wood used for furniture and ships.
• ✗Sal is a hardwood used for construction and railway sleepers.
• ✗Mulberry wood was traditionally used for hockey sticks.