Being a pacer in cricket is not an easy job, constant pressure is put on the opposite leg from the bowling arm. Due to this, pacers remove the toe area from their shoes to ease the pressure on the toenails. For instance, if a pacer is right ar,m then his landing foot will be left at the time of releasing the ball.
Reason behind pacers removing the toe area of the shoes in cricket
A pacer’s job is not an easy job to fulfill, they have to go through many injuries and surgeries as well due to this unnatural action, which they have to do all over again. Especially in Test cricket, they need to bowl 20 overs usually, it doesn’t matter if it’s hot, sunny, or cold, they take their long run-ups and bowl.
The rhythm of pacers I built with their run up, all bowlers mark their run up length, which helps in landing their leg perfectly before the crease to avoid no-balls. While releasing the ball, the landing foot is braced, and the whole weight and momentum of the body are restricted on the front leg, putting great pressure forward on the foot.
This mechanism forces the toe to be squeezed after landing inside the shoe. This continuous squeeze causes the toenail to be broken by the front part of the shoe, causing infections in the toe, and could be excruciatingly painful for the bowler as well.
How does cutting the toe area of the shoe help
After cutting the front toe area of the shoe of the landing leg, the pacer’s toe gets a free space to come out easily, not getting affected. Pacers usually do this while practicing in the nets, as in the match, there’s danger that the ball might hit the uncovered part of the feet and cause a severe injury that could result in further major injuries.
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Shoaib Akhtar, also known as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in the history of cricket with a speed of over 160 kmph. The Pakistan right-arm pacer was fierce and dangerous in his era while bowling. Due to his extraordinary pace with the ball, he suffered major injuries in the hamstrings, lower back, etc.
His run-up was sprint-based and dependent on the run-up speed, which eventually gave an extra amount of pressure on his toe. Therefore, Akhtar was forced to wear 4 socks to decrease the damage. Even after that, his shoes usually got wrecked in a match itself, due to which he has to carry some extra pairs as well on the tour.
To avoid this, he cut the toe area of the shoe and was able to bowl for a longer period without worrying about the toe infection or the pain caused by it.
Recently, Jofra Archer, the speed gun of England, was spotted cutting the front part of his shoes while practicing in the nets of Rajathan Royals in IPL 2025. He explained in the video why he cut the brand-new shoes while practicing in the nets.
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