About this product
Mikado Bat Toe Guard – in stock at 361 Degrees Adventure in Tanzania.
This is a self-adhesive toe guard for a cricket bat.
The toe is the most vulnerable part of a bat and the reason is anatomical. Everywhere else on a blade you are looking at the side of the wood fibres. At the toe you are looking at their cut ends – end grain – and end grain absorbs water like a bundle of straws. Every time a batsman taps the bat on damp ground between deliveries, and every time the bat stands on wet grass, moisture goes straight up those fibres.
Wet willow is soft willow. A softened toe then meets a yorker, and it splits – either straight up the blade or by breaking a chunk clean off the bottom. Look at any collection of broken bats and the majority failed at the toe.
A toe guard is a strip of protective material stuck across the bottom. It seals the end grain against moisture and takes the repeated impact of tapping and yorkers. It is one of the cheapest items in cricket and it prevents one of the most expensive failures.
Fit it after knocking in, on a clean, dry toe. If the bat has already been used, dry it thoroughly first – sealing moisture inside is worse than leaving it exposed.
Never oil the toe. Oil on the face and edges feeds the willow; oil on the end grain soaks straight in and softens exactly the part you are trying to keep hard. It is a common and costly mistake.
Buying a Mikado Bat Toe Guard in Tanzania
361 Degrees Adventure keeps the mikado bat toe guard at our showroom in Upanga, Dar es Salaam, with delivery countrywide across Tanzania. Come and handle it before you buy, or order online and collect.
Every mikado bat toe guard is checked in store before it leaves us, and our staff use the same kit in the field, so you get an honest answer on fit and sizing rather than a sales pitch.
Not sure which mikado bat toe guard suits you? Call or message the showroom and we will talk you through the options that are actually in stock in Dar es Salaam.
Spare parts and replacements for the mikado bat toe guard are easier to get here than on an overseas order, which matters once the gear is in use.
Browse more Cricket Accessories in Dar es Salaam, or see the full 361 Degrees range. For general background on cricket, see this overview on Wikipedia.
Mikado Bat Toe Guard