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This page explains what the Laws of Cricket, governing bodies and standards bodies publish. It is not a substitute for coaching from a qualified coach, and it does not replace medical advice.
The Laws: no footwear rule
A text search of the 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), in force from 1 October 2026, found no rule on footwear, shoes, boots or spikes. Unlike the ball, the bat, the wickets and the keeper's gloves, footwear has no Law of its own and no appendix. Under the Laws' definitions, anything worn that is not external protective equipment counts as clothing (Appendix A.12.2), and shoes are not listed among a batter's external protective equipment in Appendix A.2.2.
So any rule on which shoes may be worn in a match comes from the body running it, not from the Laws.
The ICC: appearance rules for international cricket
The ICC Clothing and Equipment Regulations, effective from January 2024 for bilateral international cricket, list boots and shoes as cricket equipment and set rules on how they look:
| Format | Shoe and boot rule (ICC, January 2024) |
|---|---|
| Tests | At least 70% white, counting the tongue and the laces; any colour may be used on the remaining 30% |
| ODIs and T20 internationals | The same 70% white rule, or the shoe may instead be the same colour as the team's playing kit |
| All formats | Only one manufacturer may be identified on each item, shoes included |
The regulations also let a match official keep a player off the field, or send them off it, until a non-compliant item is removed or covered, with no warning needed first. That applies to shoes as it does to other listed equipment. The wider rules are on clothing and equipment rules.
The ICC says event-specific agreements and regulations take precedence over these rules at ICC events where the two conflict, so a World Cup or similar event can set its own terms.
What was not researched
The types of cricket shoe (spiked and rubber-soled), and any rule on wearing spikes on artificial pitches, were not researched for this site, so nothing is said about them here. National boards' and leagues' own clothing and equipment regulations were not opened either. Where a board, league or competition has its own rule, that body's current document governs.