Cricket Shoes Buying Guide: Finding the Right Footwear for Your
When it comes to cricket shoes, it is not exactly a ‘one size fits all’ solution. The right footwear for your cricket game depends on a range of factors and many players will in fact have two different types of shoes in their kit bags. Here is a handy buying guide if you are in the market for some new cricket shoes:
Things to consider before buying cricket shoes
The right footwear for you may not be the same for your teammate or other cricket enthusiasts. You should firstly consider what type of surface you will be playing on most often – whether it’s indoor, outdoor turf, or grass wickets.
Some shoes are far better for certain surfaces than others. The other key element in finding the right footwear is determining what type of player you are. Fast bowlers in particular require greater traction and stability than most other players and therefore may need a slightly different pair of shoes which caters to that.
Types of cricket shoes
There are two main types of cricket shoe soles, which are designed for different playing surfaces and provide different levels of grip for different types of players. These are:
1. Spiked shoes
Spiked shoes are the most common and popular type of cricket shoe sole in Australia, featuring either metal or rubber spikes under a rubber sole. These spikes provide excellent grip and traction on soft or wet outdoor pitches, but those which have longer metal spikes could be damaged if used on hard surfaces.
Spiked shoes are ideal for batters, bowlers (including fast bowlers) and fielders alike. When it comes to spiked shoes, the Gray-Nicolls Velocity range is a good choice. These shoes feature a lightweight rubber outsole with nine strategically placed metal spikes.
Conversion kits are also available for these shoes, allowing you to easily take out the metal spikes and instead screw in rubber spikes. The Gray-Nicolls Velocity range comes in both adult and junior sizes.
2. Rubber soles
Rubber sole shoes are marketed as being ideal for all surfaces – including in the nets and indoors but are best used on hard surfaces.
They provide good traction and stability for most basic movements, without the need for spikes.
The Gray-Nicolls Velocity range of rubber sole shoes are a popular choice among cricketers around Australia, and come in both adult and junior sizes.
These shoes feature a Haipoli pro footbed, which dissipates impact shock waves to help reduce stress on joints. They also have an innovative stretch mesh upper, allowing airflow to help keep your feet feeling fresh for long days on the field.
Looking for a new pair of cricket shoes?
If you are in the market for a shiny new pair of cricket shoes, check out our online store. We stock some of the best cricket shoes in Australia – for both junior and senior men’s players, We also stock wide range of other cricket gear from all the leading brands!
