Harrow Cricket Bat: The Complete GuideThe size everyone skips — and the one that is also a legitimate adult bat
Harrow is the least understood size in cricket. Most people think it is a junior stepping stone to be got through quickly. It is actually a bridge across the largest gap on the size chart — and for plenty of adults, it is simply the right bat.
Why Harrow exists
Look at the chart and the reason is immediate.
| Size | Height | In centimetres | Step up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size 5 | 4ft 9in – 5ft 1in | 145–155cm | Moderate |
| Size 6 | 5ft 1in – 5ft 4in | 155–163cm | Moderate |
| Harrow | 5ft 4in – 5ft 6in | 163–168cm | Moderate |
| Short Handle | 5ft 6in – 6ft | 168–183cm | Large |
Every step through the junior sizes is roughly three inches of height and a few centimetres of bat. Size 6 to Short Handle is a far larger jump — in length and, more consequentially, in weight.
Harrow sits in that gap. It is not an optional extra size; it is the reason the transition from junior to adult cricket does not require a player to manage a bat they are not ready for at exactly the stage when their technique is consolidating.
The most common mistake at this stage is going Size 6 straight to Short Handle because the child had a growth spurt. Height arrives before strength does — and a bat that is too heavy forces a tighter grip, a shortened backlift and bottom-hand dominance, which become natural within two seasons.
Who it actually suits
A growing junior between Size 6 and Short Handle
Between 5ft 4in and 5ft 6in, cramped in a Size 6 but awkward in a Short Handle.
Why: This is what Harrow was designed for. The step from Size 6 to Short Handle is the largest on the chart, and a player mid-growth is exactly who it is too large for.
A player whose height has outrun their strength
Grown quickly over a year, tall enough on paper for a Short Handle, not yet strong enough to swing one properly.
Why: Very common at this age, and the situation where the hip test misleads. They look ready and they are not — the stance test catches it.
An adult under about 5ft 6in
A grown player who finds a Short Handle long and heavy.
Why: Harrow is a legitimate adult size, not a junior compromise. There is no rule that adults must use Short Handle bats, and a bat you can control beats a bat that reaches further.
A player returning after a break
Someone coming back to cricket whose strength has not caught up with their frame yet.
Why: Less common, but the same logic. Buy for what you can swing now, not for what you could swing three years ago.
Size 6, Harrow or Short Handle?
The chart gets you to a band. These two tests settle it — and at this size band, they matter more than anywhere else on the chart, because this is where players sit on boundaries.
The hip test
Stand the bat vertically beside the leg, in the shoes they play in. The top of the handle should reach the hip. Knee or mid-thigh means too small; navel or chest means too big.
The stance test
Normal stance, then a slow backlift and a slow forward defensive. Watch for:
- The bat moving freely, without the handle catching the forearm
- Posture staying the same — no leaning, crouching or dropping a shoulder to manage it
- The toe not dragging through the defensive stroke
Where the two tests disagree, trust the stance test. This is the crucial point at this size: a player who has grown quickly will often pass the hip test on a Short Handle they cannot actually swing. The hip test measures reach. The stance test measures control, and control is what decides whether they can bat with it.
| Result | Buy |
|---|---|
| Passes both tests in Size 6 | Stay in Size 6. No hurry. |
| Size 6 too small, Short Handle fails the stance test | Harrow. This is exactly what it is for. |
| Passes both tests comfortably in Short Handle | Short Handle. No benefit in an extra step. |
| Genuinely borderline | Harrow. Between two sizes, take the smaller. |
The part nobody tells adults
Harrow is a legitimate adult size. There is no rule that a grown cricketer must use a Short Handle bat, and plenty of adults would play better if they did not.
If you are under about 5ft 6in and have always found Short Handle bats long and heavy — the toe catching as you push off, the bat feeling like hard work in the last few overs — that is not a strength problem to be trained away. It is a sizing problem with a straightforward answer.
The trade is honest: a Harrow blade is smaller, so there is marginally less hitting area. In exchange you get a bat you can swing at full speed and adjust late with. A bat you can control beats a bat that reaches further, and that holds at every level.
The only reason more adults do not use them is that Harrow is shelved and marketed as a junior size. That is a retail convention, not a cricketing one.
Is it worth it for one season?
The objection every parent raises, and it deserves a direct answer rather than a deflection.
Yes, and here is the arithmetic that is usually missing.
A Harrow might last six months or two seasons. Against that, a Short Handle bought a year early builds compensations — tight grip, shortened backlift, bottom-hand dominance — that become natural within two seasons and take considerably longer than that to correct.
A Harrow for one season is cheaper than a year of coaching to undo bottom-hand dominance. And the bat is the least expensive part of the decision either way — what the player keeps is the technique they built while holding it.
Two things that soften the cost:
- Protection outlasts bats. Pads, gloves and a thigh guard usually see out two or three bats, so the next purchase is often just the bat itself.
- A properly prepared bat is worth passing on. Knocked in and stored dry, a Harrow bat outgrown after a season is still sound for a younger sibling or a club kit room.
Which bats come in Harrow
All four of our Kashmir willow bats. Same grades, same 8-stage hydraulic pressing, same Singapore cane handle, same fitted toe guard, same 12-month handle warranty as every other size.
| Bat | Grade | Price | Right for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Edition | Grade 2 — denser cleft | ₹4,499 | Three or four net sessions a week |
| Legend Edition | Grade 1 | ₹4,999 | Mostly matches rather than nets |
| Limited Edition | Grade 1+ | ₹5,499 | Competitive cricket. Widest Kashmir edges at 40–43mm |
| Player Edition | Player Grade | ₹5,999 | Middling the ball consistently in regular competitive cricket |
Our English willow range is seven adult-oriented sizes and does not go down to Harrow. For a junior that is the right outcome anyway — higher grades of English willow are selected for performance rather than durability, which makes them the wrong tool for a player still mishitting regularly.
For an adult in a Harrow, the Player Edition at ₹5,999 is the one we would point at. And all five profiles are free on every bat, which matters here because an adult knows exactly how they score.
It still needs knocking in
Four to six hours on Kashmir willow plus light oiling, spread over two to three weeks. A smaller size is not exempt. Spend at least thirty minutes on the edges. Add our preparation service for ₹1,000, or follow the guide.
When to move on
When the Harrow fails the fit tests as too small — handle reaching the knee rather than the hip, and a cramped backlift.
Then test the Short Handle on both tests, not just the hip one. If the stance test still fails, stay put. The right time to move up is when the equipment says so, not when a birthday or a growth spurt suggests it.
And if you are an adult who found their way to a Harrow and it works — there is no next step to take. That is your bat.
Questions players and parents ask
What is a Harrow cricket bat? +
A size that sits between Size 6 and a full adult Short Handle, suiting players roughly 5ft 4in to 5ft 6in, or 163 to 168cm. It exists because the step from Size 6 to Short Handle is the largest single jump on the size chart, in both length and weight - Harrow bridges it.
Is Harrow a junior or an adult size? +
Both, and this is the part most people do not know. It is the natural step for a growing junior, and it is also a legitimate adult size for anyone under about 5ft 6in. An adult who finds a Short Handle long and heavy will usually play better with a Harrow - the blade is smaller, but a bat you can control beats a bat that reaches further.
What height is a Harrow bat for? +
Roughly 5ft 4in to 5ft 6in, or 163 to 168cm. Below that, Size 6. Above it, Short Handle. But treat that as a starting point and confirm with the fit tests, because this is exactly the band where players sit on a boundary and the chart cannot decide for them.
Should my child skip Harrow and go straight to Short Handle? +
Only if they pass both fit tests comfortably in a Short Handle - the handle top reaching their hip, and a free backlift and defensive stroke with no change in posture. A growing player often passes the hip test on a bat they cannot actually swing, so the stance test is the one that matters here.
How long does a player stay in a Harrow? +
Anywhere from six months to two full seasons, depending on how they grow. Move when the bat fails the fit tests as too small - handle reaching the knee rather than the hip, and a cramped backlift. Children grow in bursts rather than steadily, so check at the start of each season.
Is a Harrow bat a waste of money if they will outgrow it quickly? +
No, and this is the calculation most parents get wrong. A bat that is too big forces a tighter grip, a shortened backlift and bottom-hand dominance - habits that become natural within two seasons and take considerably longer to correct. A Harrow for one season is cheaper than a year of coaching to undo that.
Can an adult use a Harrow bat? +
Yes, and for an adult under about 5ft 6in it is often the better choice. There is no rule that adults must use Short Handle bats. The relevant question is whether you can swing the bat freely at full speed and still adjust late - if a Short Handle fails that and a Harrow passes it, buy the Harrow.
Which bats come in Harrow? +
All four of our Kashmir willow bats. Our English willow range is seven sizes and adult-oriented, so it does not go down to Harrow - which is usually the right outcome anyway, because higher grades of English willow are selected for performance rather than durability.
Does a Harrow bat need knocking in? +
Yes - four to six hours of mallet work on Kashmir willow plus light oiling, spread over two to three weeks. Harrow bats are not exempt because they are a smaller size. Spend at least thirty minutes on the edges, which is the part almost everyone skips and where most early failures start.
What weight should a Harrow bat be? +
Light enough to swing freely at full speed and still change to a different shot halfway through. There is no useful target figure because it depends on the player - and at this stage a player who has grown quickly often has height without the strength to match it yet. If in doubt, lighter.
What protection goes with a Harrow bat? +
Measure rather than assume, because hands and legs do not grow in step at this age. Gloves by hand measurement - under 17cm takes Youth. Pads by knee to instep, with the knee roll sitting over the kneecap. Plus a thigh guard set, an abdominal guard, and a properly fitted helmet.
Can you help me decide between Size 6, Harrow and Short Handle? +
Yes, and this is the size band where it is most worth asking. Send us the player's height, their age, what cricket they play and which hand they bat with on WhatsApp. If they are on a boundary we will tell you which we would pick and why.
Related: the Size 6 guide, the full size chart including Short Handle, Long Handle and Long Blade, and the parent's guide to the whole kit.
Made in Meerut · All four bats in Harrow
Between two sizes? Tell us the height.
Academy ₹4,499 · Legend ₹4,999 · Limited ₹5,499 · Player Edition ₹5,999 · Five profiles free on every bat · Same pressing, handle, toe guard and 12-month warranty in every size · ₹500 now, balance on delivery