Cricket Batting Gloves Buying Guide: Size, Fit and Protection

Choose batting gloves that fit snugly, match your batting hand, and suit the level of cricket you play. A well-fitting glove feels comfortable as soon as you grip the bat, with no gaps at the fingertips and nothing pinching. For juniors and social players, a lightweight glove is plenty. Regular club cricketers facing quicker bowling should step up to a glove with more protection on the fingers and thumb.

We fit batting gloves from New Balance, Gray-Nicolls, Kookaburra, Masuri, Gunn & Moore and more at Western Sports Centre in Derrimut. Here's what to look for.

Quick picks

See our full range of cricket batting gloves for current stock and sizes.

Right-handed or left-handed?

Batting gloves come in right-hand and left-hand versions, shown as "Side" on our product pages. Choose the side you bat. Each version puts extra protection where the ball is most likely to hit for that type of batter.

What size do I need?

Glove sizes usually run from smallest to largest like this:

• Extra Small and Small Junior: young children.
• Junior: primary school age.
• Youth: early teens and small-handed adults.
• Small Adult: older teens and adults with smaller hands.
• Adult: most adults.
• Large Adult: adults with big hands.

To check your size, measure from your wrist crease to the tip of your middle finger and compare it with the size chart. Sizes vary a little between brands, so always check the chart on the product page or try them on in store. Here's the Gunn & Moore glove size chart as a guide:

How a glove should fit: your fingertips should reach the end of the fingers without being squashed, and the glove should feel snug around your hand and wrist. Too big, and you'll lose feel on the bat. Too small, and your fingertips won't be protected.

Protection and feel

• Finger protection: look for firm padding on the fingers. Better gloves add extra inserts on the bottom-hand fingers and thumb, the most common places to get hit.
• Split or sausage fingers: split-finger gloves have separate padding sections and move more freely. Sausage-finger gloves have rounded rolls and a more traditional feel. It's personal preference.
• Palm: leather palms, often sheep leather, give the best grip and feel. Cheaper gloves use synthetic palms, which are fine for juniors and training.
• Weight: lighter gloves give more feel. Heavier gloves usually give more protection.

Wear batting inners

Inners are thin cotton gloves worn under your batting gloves. They soak up sweat, add a little padding, and make your gloves last longer. Choose full-finger or fingerless, like the Kookaburra Batting Inners or Gray-Nicolls Full Cotton Inners. See all batting inners.

Looking after your gloves

• Take them out of your bag after every game and let them air dry. Never dry them on a heater.
• Wear inners to keep sweat off the palms.
• Have two pairs if you bat a lot, and swap between them.
• Check the finger padding regularly and replace gloves if it has split or flattened.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if batting gloves fit?

Grip a bat. Your fingertips should sit close to the end of the glove, and the glove should feel snug but not tight. If there's a gap at the fingertips, try a smaller size.

Do I need different gloves for indoor cricket?

Indoor balls are softer, so lighter indoor gloves are fine and more comfortable. For hard-ball cricket, wear proper batting gloves.

Should a junior buy gloves to grow into?

No. Gloves that are too big don't protect the fingertips and make it hard to hold the bat. Buy the size that fits now.

Get fitted

Come into Western Sports Centre in Derrimut to try gloves on with your bat. Or shop batting gloves online. Need pads too? Read our batting pads buying guide.