SPIKES

STATUS

Ready

 Three requests for Change of Playing Regulation have been received.

SUMMARY

We want bowlers to wear metal spiked shoes when bowling. We want the umpires to prevent players without them from bowling. 

PROPOSAL

CURRENT REGULATION
8.1.6 Players must wear cricket shoes with metal spikes or similar (full sole or half sole) while bowling.
8.1.7 Spike length will be limited to 9mm.

PROPOSED CHANGES
FIRST, change Playing Regulation 8.1.6 to
8.1.6 Players must wear cricket shoes with metal spikes (full sole or half sole) while bowling.
   (The words 'or similar' are removed.)

SECOND, change Regulation 8.1.7 to 8.1.6.1
8.1.6.1 Spike length will be limited to 9mm.
   (numbering change)

THIRD, add a regulation
8.1.7 Any bowler with shoes that do not comply with regulation 8.1.6 will not be allowed to bowl.
   (a rule to oblige bowlers to wear spikes)

FOURTH, that only full spikes should be allowed
8.1.6 Players must wear cricket shoes or boots with full sole metal spikes while bowling.
   (a slight change to the wording of 8.1.6 to make it full sole spikes not half)
   (Also shoes are taken to include boots. Boots are very rare these days. This is in line with other language in regulation 8 such as "hats" includes caps and hats or "jumpers" includes tops, sweaters, pullovers etc)
 

BACKGROUND

"There have been complaints received during the previous season from groundsmen and umpires, where bowlers have bowled with non-metal conversion spikes. These cause damage to the pitch and should not be allowed when bowling." Adam Brady

"The old rule allowed bowlers to wear half spikes. I feel half spikes could do as much damage as no spikes by burning the grass." Jim Noble

 "I was umpiring a game in the early part of the 2016/17 season where a bowler began an over wearing blue Dunlop KT26 joggers. The bowler was bowling for the home team. The captain of the visiting team who was batting at non-striker pointed out the bowler's shoes. Under the playing regulations I am merely charged to report the incident. I did say that ultimately the home team are ripping up their own pitch by doing this. After about 3 overs this bowler was dismissed anyway (he got hit for too many 4's) so the issue kind of blew over." Anthony Martin

 When this matter was reported to the Management Committee, this Request for change of playing regulations was the result.


DISCUSSION


At first glance this seems obvious.

 We're playing on turf pitches, mostly dry and hard turf pitches. Players ought to use spiked shoes to limit damage to pitches and run ups and to maintain sure footholds particularly when bowling or running.


A recent opinion on this issue I heard was particularly challenging. Basically it was "Who needs 'em? Only in Australia has anyone ever talked about this "spikes must be used on turf" idea?". i won't embarrass the person who said this but I raise it because it's a valid perspective which might not have been otherwise considered. I think it might put this argument in some context.
Some other problems arise. 

 First, some players will choose to wear shoes designed for other sports. There are a plethora of sports-shoe designs available in shops these days.

 There are many designs for touch football, track and field athletics, lumberjacking... you name it, there's a shoe for it.

In particular, there are designs featuring long, rectangular, *metal* cleats for baseball.

Some New Balance baseball shoes. Look carefully at the 'spikes'.
Many of these designs are not suitable for use in cricket yet they have "metal" spikes.


Second, right now there is no actual power in the rules for an umpire to issue an order to prevent a bowler bowling without spiked shoes.

At the match 
The practical things that occur to me are:
  • How does any umpire propose to measure 9mm accurately or reliably? (If they won't, can't or are unable due to disinclination, lack of skill or lack of tools then maybe they shouldn't be asked to?)
  • How do you tell if spikes are metal? Metal spikes are probably easy to tell from plastic or rubber but what about composites? (eg. fibreglass or cermets)
  • What about the issue of shape? . If confronted with those baseball shoes with metal rectangular spikes how do we want umpires to decide?
  • If a dispute about spikes arises in a game with no umpire present how do we propose to resolve it?



 In my view the basic changes proposed are improvements to the regulations so should not be ignored. Unfortunately they will not solve any and every issue that might come up. Short of defining the shape, length and material (maybe the number) of spikes or compiling and maintaining a list of acceptable shoe models (and then getting the tools, skills and opportunities to check spikes) we're not going to get better improvement on this regulation.

ABM 25-04-2017
(Revised 30-06-2017)

ps. Thanks to Adam Brady and Jim Noble for their input on this issue.

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