BCs not trying to look like ABs
New Zealand Cricket says it wasn’t trying to make the Black Caps look like the All Blacks with the white collar on their new one-day international uniform.
The national men’s cricket team sported their altered strip in the 45-run win in the opening fixture of their three-match series against Sri Lanka in Mt Maunganui on Thursday, with the change from a black to white collar the big difference on their Canterbury-made outfit.
It comes just two months after the All Blacks reverted to the white collar design on their adidas jerseys after a four-year absence.
But the fact the two kits now look more similar than ever is just a coincidence, NZC public affairs manager Richard Boock said.
‘‘The black and white shirt’s something we wanted to get back to,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s New Zealand’s national colours.
‘‘The white collar is just a way to use the black and white together. And it’s used across the sporting spectrum for a lot of national teams, the Kiwi rugby league team uses it as well, and we just think it fits really nicely with this shirt.
‘‘There was no desire or intent to mimic any shirt from any other national team. But when your national colours are black and white, there are only so many ways you can do it.’’
In fact, because the ball used in ODIs is white, there is actually a restriction on how much white can be used on the shirt, with the International Cricket Council having to sign off on the design.
The Black Caps’ one-day strip has featured several different colours over time, starting with the famed beige number, moving to grey, then teal, before shifting to black in 2001.
There has been a white collar on the black shirt before, from 2009 to 2012, but like in recent years it’s floppy, able to be turned down or worn up.
‘‘We really like it, the players like it, the players were consulted,’’ Boock said of the design, which is part of NZC’s desire to reflect the country’s sporting heritage.
The new strip is for an indefinite period, to be worn home and away, and will be the same one worn at this year’s World Cup in England and Wales, aside from the tweaks in logos which come with ICC tournaments. There is no change to this summer’s Twenty20 strip, with the silver and black number to remain.