How to Choose the Best Cricket Gloves
There are many brands of cricket gloves on the market, so when choosing the right pair for you some research will be in order. Cricket gloves now come in all the same new high tech materials as gear designed for many other sports.
Fit is the most important thing with cricket gloves so make sure that you try some on before you buy them. Fall is a good time to buy cricket gloves as many stores will be having sales to get rid of excess stock at the end of the season. They need to make room for the new equipment that is already coming in for next season. Cricket gloves should not be too loose or too tight. Each finger should have plenty of room and there should be adequate padding for protection.
Cricket bowlers get the ball in very fast with lots of spin, anywhere from 40 to 90 mph depending on the level at which you are playing. So, you want to be sure that your gloves not only feel good gripping the bat but that they give you plenty of protection should you get hit by a ball. Hitting the ball with the hand is as legal in cricket as hitting it with the bat. That means the ball will be in play and you will have no time to deal with imperfect gloves.
There are many manufacturers of cricket gloves. Batting cricket gloves are made by Slazenger, Puma, Gray Nicholls, Kookaburra, Gunn & Moore, and Newbery, among others. Don’t expect to get more than basic protection in the lowest priced ones which cost around 10 pounds or twenty U.S dollars, depending on the currency rate. The best in batting cricket gloves can cost close to fifty pounds or one hundred U.S. dollars. That’s quite a bit of money so you will want to be assured that for the price you are getting top of the line.
A look at a high-end pair of Gary Nicholls batting cricket gloves reveals the same sort of ergonomic considerations you see in high-end gloves for hockey and other sports. For instance, they have a quad-flex design for stress-free fit as the hand flexes. They also have carbon casing on the bottom two fingers for protection in high impact areas. Plus, these batting cricket gloves have plenty of foam for shock absorption and a comfort lining. The palms are made of sheep leather.
Wicket keeping cricket gloves fall roughly within the same price range and are made of the same materials as batting cricket gloves. They have that extra tacky grip you find on many gloves to help you in not dropping the ball.
In order to get the best fit in cricket gloves, you should measure your hand--from your wrist to the end of your longest finger. Cricket gloves come in boys, youth sizes, and men’s.