What is the hardest task to do that you can think of? Trying to make a child stop crying? Drinking hot coffee quickly? Driving? None of the tasks above is as hard as replacing the grip of a cricket bat. This might seem like a very weird choice, but believe me this task is no child's play. Last week, I found my old bat in the cupboard. Although very old, the bat means a lot to me emotionally because I have been using it for the past eight years. The problem with the bat was that its grip had melted off (yeah the temperatures here in Pakistan are that high). So I went down to the sports store and bought a grip and tried replacing it myself. I first used my upper body strength to try and force the grip on the handle, but that didn't help. Then, I tried using a plastic bag to ease the friction on the handle, but that didn't help either. Tired, I headed to the sports store and asked for their help. The attendant, took the bat from me, and smiling, brought out a cone-shaped equipment, with which he rolled the grip onto the handle and the work was done.
So, the next time you try to place a grip on a cricket bat's handle, don't try without using the cone or you will end up wasting your time. :D
