Pitching up in pink at the ODI

FROM the advertising hoardings, the roller for the pitch and of course the South African players, pink will be the colour of choice at The Wanderers stadium this afternoon when the Proteas take on India in the fourth One-Day International.

The “Pink Day ODI” has rapidly become one of the highlights on the South African sports and social calendar, combining a festive and colourful occasion with raising awareness for a good cause.

The first time the Proteas were decked out fully in pink was in 2013, and they’ve won each of the six matches they’ve played in that colour. That is a record they must maintain today, in order to stave off the hitherto rampant Indians, who’ve won the opening three matches of the six-game series, and ensure that they can at least draw.

But the “Pink ODI” has become so much more than a cricket match, and in just five years it has rapidly elevated and become one of the biggest social occasions in Johannesburg. A sign of just how much it has grown this year is the presence of top fashion designer David Tlale, who has signed on as an ambassador for the match.

Tlale has designed a “bespoke PinkDay bracelet”, made by the Relate Trust, that each of the Proteas will wear.

Money raised from the sale of the bracelets will contribute towards fund-raising efforts around the match, with the main beneficiary being the Breast Cancer Clinic at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

The match starts at 1pm.