Cricket Australia unveiled new playing kits for the upcoming international cricketing season for both the Men’s and Women’s teams. The Asics kit, to be worn for the next two home summers, includes the Walkabout Wickets artwork designed by Aunty Fiona Clarke on the side panels of the shirts.
The Australian team will wear green colored kits in T20Is for the first time, ditching the black color they had been wearing before. Australia has worn black in T20 internationals since it was first introduced in February 2012 for a two-match home series against India. They later wore black at that year's T20 World Cup.
"When you think of green and gold you think of Australia. The black worked for a few years, but now it's back to green and gold, so that's great news,” Josh Hazlewood told cricket.com.au.
The kits are almost identical across the genders, but there are subtle differences – notably the men's T20 kit is collarless, but the women's does feature a more traditional look with a collar.
The men’s kits currently do not have any sponsor for the shirt fronts, with Cricket Australia in the market for that lucrative piece of real estate across all formats. Commonwealth Bank remains a principal sponsor of the women's cricket team.
Australia's Test kit has subtle green piping around the sleeves and collar – a design Aussie allrounder Cameron Green called "clean" – but ICC regulations mean the Walkabout Wickets logo is embossed onto the side under the ventilated mesh panels.
"I think it's great having the Indigenous artwork on the kit. We've been pushing for that for a long time and now to have it represented on the uniform for all three formats is fantastic. It's a fantastic progression and all the players are proud to wear it. Wearing the Aussie kit is a proud moment for anyone. I've been very fortunate and humbled to be able to wear the kit for a long time," said Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
Walkabout Wickets was painted by Clarke, a Kirrae Whurrong woman who is the great grand-daughter of James 'Mosquito' Couzens, who played in the Aboriginal XI in a landmark match at the MCG in 1866, and also toured England in 1868, the first sporting team from Australia to play abroad.
Australia is expected to soon reveal their playing kit for this year's ODI World Cup in India.
(cricket.com.au inputs)
