Methods for estimating moment of inertia of cricket bats

Mass moment of inertia is a key inertial property of cricket bats and should be used in selection to optimise performance. Players currently rely on a subjective assessment of how the bat feels when swung supported only by a value for bat mass from the manufacturer. This reliance on a subjective assessment is because the moment of inertia of a bat typically requires a pendulum method to measure with sufficient accuracy. In this study, two methods for estimating moment of inertia were tested. The hypotheses were that (1) an acceptable estimate of moment of inertia could be calculated using a beam model approach, and (2) the inertial property first moment could act as a proxy measure for moment of inertia. Experimental values for moment of inertia were obtained using a pendulum method. The two-section beam model showed an error of 0.43–0.53% between model and experimental values based on a Root Mean Square Error of 0.0017 kg m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>. First moment data were generated on 5005 bats spread across eight bat shapes. A correlation was shown between the measured value of first moment and the beam model value of moment of inertia, with an <jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> value &gt; 0.992 for all bat shapes. This study showed that a two-section beam model and first moment method for estimating cricket bat moment of inertia could be used to improve bat selection.