In
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
a wide range of equipment is required. Cricket clothing is slightly loose fitting so that it is comfortable.
- Ball – A red or white ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket.-Manufacture:Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered with tightly wound string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam...
with a corkCork material is an impermeable, buoyant material, a subset of generic cork tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber that is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
base, wrapped in twineTwine is a strong thread or string composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together. More generally, the term can be applied to any thin cord.Natural fibers used for making twine include cotton, sisal, jute, hemp, henequen, and coir...
covered with leatherLeather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable and versatile material....
. The ball should have a circumference of 23 cm (9 inches) unless it is a children's size.
- Bat – A wooden bat
A cricket bat is used by batsmen in the sport of cricket. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624.This specialised bat is shaped something like a paddle, consisting of a long, padded handle similar to - but sturdier than - that of a tennis racquet, which is usually...
is used. The wood used is from the KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent...
or EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
willowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
tree.
In
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
a wide range of equipment is required. Cricket clothing is slightly loose fitting so that it is comfortable.
Equipment
- Ball – A red or white ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket.-Manufacture:Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered with tightly wound string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam...
with a corkCork material is an impermeable, buoyant material, a subset of generic cork tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber that is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
base, wrapped in twineTwine is a strong thread or string composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together. More generally, the term can be applied to any thin cord.Natural fibers used for making twine include cotton, sisal, jute, hemp, henequen, and coir...
covered with leatherLeather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable and versatile material....
. The ball should have a circumference of 23 cm (9 inches) unless it is a children's size.
- Bat – A wooden bat
A cricket bat is used by batsmen in the sport of cricket. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624.This specialised bat is shaped something like a paddle, consisting of a long, padded handle similar to - but sturdier than - that of a tennis racquet, which is usually...
is used. The wood used is from the KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent...
or EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
willowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
tree. The bat cannot be more than 38 inches (96.5 cm) long and 4.25 inches wide (10.8 cm). AluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
bats are not allowed. The bat has a long handle and one side has a smooth face.
- Stumps – 3 wooden poles known as the stumps
Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:1. part of the wicket, 2. a manner of dismissing a batsman, and 3. the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...
.
- Bails – Two crosspieces known as the bails
In the sport of cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a wicket. The bails are used to determine when the wicket is broken, which in turn is one of the critical factors in determining whether a batsman is out bowled, stumped, run out or hit wicket...
- Sight screen – A screen placed at the boundary known as the sight screen. This is aligned exactly parallel to the width of the pitch and behind both pairs of wickets.
- Boundary – A rope demarcating the perimeter of the field known as the boundary.
Clothing and protective wear
- A polo shirt which is worn by everyone in the match (T-shirt with collar)
- Long trousers (often white, but stained red in parts from polishing the ball)
- Sun hats, cricket cap
A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, with a small crescent shaped brim that points downwards...
or baseball capA baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a long, stiff bill that may either be curved or flat. The back of the cap may have a plastic, Velcro, or elastic adjuster so that it can be quickly adjusted to fit different wearers....
- Spiked shoes to increase traction.
- Jumper (a woollen pullover, if necessary)
- Helmet (often with a visor), worn by batsmen and fielders
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out. A fielder or fieldsman...
close to the batsman on strike.
- Leg pads, worn by the two batsmen and the wicket-keeper, used to protect the shin bone against impact from the ball, fielders that are fielding in close to the batsmen may wear shin guards as well.
- Thigh Guard, arm guards, chest guard, and elbow guards to protect the body of the batsmen.
- Gloves
Batting gloves are a component in baseball sportswear. The glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, heat, improved grip, and shock absorption when hitting the ball...
for batsmen only, thickly padded above the fingers to protect against impact from the ball as it is bowled
- Wicket keeper's gloves for the wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
which are larger and look like mitts. Usually includes webbing between the thumb and index fingers
- Abdomen guard or "box" for male batsmen only (often referred to as a cup, box or cricket box). It is usually constructed from high density plastic with a padded edge, shaped like a hollow half-pear, and inserted into the jockstrap
A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...
of the batsmen and wicket-keeper. This is used to protect the testicles against impact from the ball.
Batsmen are allowed to wear gloves while batting. The batsman can be also
out caughtIn the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings.-Role:Once dismissed, a batsman cannot score any more runs in that innings...
if the ball touches the glove instead of the bat. This is because the glove is considered to be the extension of the bat. The batsman may also wear protective helmets usually with a visor to protect themselves. Helmets are usually employed when facing
fast bowlersIn the sport of cricket there are two broad categories of bowlers: pace bowlers and spin bowlers. Pace bowlers rely mostly on the speed of the ball to dismiss batsmen, whereas spin bowlers rely on the rotation of the ball.-Pace bowlers:...
. While playing spinners, it might not be employed.
Fielders cannot use gloves to field the ball. If they use any part of their clothing to field the ball they may be penalised 5 penalty runs to the opposition. If the fielders are fielding close to the batsman, they are allowed to use helmets.
The wicketkeeper, due to being directly behind the batsman and therefore having the ball bowled directly at him is allowed to wear shin pads, a helmet, a light internal glove and a large external glove like a mitt.
Team colours
For
Test cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
matches, the clothing (shirts and trousers) worn by the players are full white. The team logo is marked on their shirt. Helmets and caps however are allowed to be in the colour of the team. If a sweater is used, the V–neck border also carries the team colour. Umpires have to wear black trousers and white shirt.
In ODI matches, the entire clothing is coloured according to the team colours. Umpires may also wear hued clothing.
| Country |
Background |
Foreground and Lettering |
| Australia* |
Green |
Gold |
| Bangladesh |
Dark Green |
Red |
| Bermuda |
Light Blue |
Red |
| Canada |
Red |
Black |
| England |
Blue |
Red |
| Guernsey |
Green |
White |
| Hong Kong |
Red |
White |
| India |
Dark Blue |
Orange |
| Ireland |
Light green |
Dark blue |
| Kenya |
Light green |
Maroon |
| Namibia |
Dark blue |
Green |
| Netherlands |
Orange |
Dark blue |
| New Zealand** |
Black |
White |
| Pakistan |
Light Green |
Dark Green |
| Scotland |
Navy Blue |
White |
| South Africa |
Green |
Gold |
| Sri Lanka*** |
Navy Blue |
Yellow |
| UAE |
Grey |
Black |
| West Indies**** |
Maroon |
Silver/Green |
| Zimbabwe |
Red |
Green |
(*) The Australian team wears a strip in this colour scheme for matches in Australia, whilst a predominantly yellow strip with green lettering is worn for matches overseas.
(**) New Zealand used to have a beige uniform with tan lettering before 1992. In 1988 they played in white with black pads for one series against Pakistan, before changing to grey background and black lettering. In the late 1990s this was changed to Teal. Since 2001, they have used a black background with white lettering. The fabric was developed around 2001, and does not absorb heat even though it is black.
(***)When touring Australian on several occasions in the 1980s, Sri Lanka wore uniforms that were primarily Yellow, with Blue trim, before reversing the colouring.
(****) For their early appearances in
World Series CricketWorld Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
, the West Indies wore pink uniforms. By the mid-1980s their uniforms were grey, with maroon lettering and backgrounds. In the early 1990s, this was reversed to the current Maroon with grey/silver.