Sri Lanka T20 WC team jersey unveiled
MAS Holdings, South Asia’s largest apparel tech manufacturer, unveiled the official cricket jersey to be worn by the Sri Lankan national team at the International Cricket Council ( ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia this year. The jersey was handed over by the Chairman of MAS Holdings, Mahesh Amalean and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MAS Active, Chelan Goonetilleke, to the Sri Lanka T20 World Cup captain Dasun Shanaka and the Chairman of SLC, Shammi Silva at an event held on 30th September 2022 at Nirmaana, the MAS Active facility in Katunayake where the jerseys are designed and manufactured.
MAS has built a trusting relationship with SLC since 2005, designing and manufacturing world- class performance apparel for the national cricket team, improving style, comfort and functionality to enhance the players’ performance. Over the years, MAS has introduced new fabrication technologies for the national jersey including high performance synthetic fabric (2005-2008), light weight sport fabrication and sublimation printing (2012), and perspiration mesh fabric and laser perspiration holes (2014). Since 2014, MAS has also focused on improving the aesthetic of the jersey, which has been inspired by Sri Lanka’s unique heritage and identity, giving more meaning to the attire. Recent designs have incorporated the symbol of the lion and lion’s pride to motivate the young team to perform their best on the field, with a spirit like what was witnessed in the recent Asia Cup 2022, where the team emerged champions.
Ahead of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, the feedback from the players were about the difficulty in performing with garments that cling to the body due to increased perspiration. The latest jersey was developed by the MAS Active team after assessing the environmental conditions in the Australian stadiums which have high humidity levels in October, and incorporating learnings from weather patterns, temperatures, and research into sweat glands of the human body. Based on a body map of perspiration zones, MAS Active developed an engineered fabric with varying levels of ventilation to evaporate sweat faster to keep the player fresh and comfortable. This is in addition to the existing wicking and moisture management technologies used to create a lightweight, high absorbent, stretchable, breathable fabric tailored to maintain the right fit and comfort.