Cricket is the second most mainstream game on the planet. The primary purpose behind the fame of cricket is its accommodating standards and vivid visuals. In its more than 140-year-old history, cricket has experienced numerous changes. From hockey bat to level bat, from a 5-day occasion to a restricted over organization numerous huge changes have occurred. Be that as it may, the greatest transformation in-game came when it was popularized.
The brand value of cricket and its player is enormous. Especially in countries like India, which have the wealthiest cricket board. But, to reach this fame, cricket went through major visual changes. Until 1991, all players wore the same white-colored jerseys with black stripes. Only red-ball cricket was played. Cricket was played only during the day and relied on the sunlight. But this all changed.
Let’s discuss some historic changes in color preferences in cricket and how it shaped this sport:
The jerseys went colorful
The jerseys wore by players were of white colors till the 1990s. In 1978 Kerry Packer organized the unauthorized league of World Series cricket in which he paid money to top world cricketers to play. He made many changes in the rules. He used colorful jerseys, advertisement boards, sponsored jersey. This change became normal in the 1990s. In the 1992 World Cup, players wore colorful sponsored jerseys, and that was when history was made.
Today, it is not possible to imagine the limited-overs format without the colorful jersey of teams. Though teams have changed the design of their jerseys over the years, the core color has remained the same. With the introduction of domestic T20 leagues, fans saw more colorful and dynamic cricket matches. The umpires also went through the jersey change and changed as required. But, to continue the test legacy, it still uses white jerseys in test cricket. Over the past few years, jerseys have also been used to promote social causes.
Change of red ball to white and then pink
The cricket ball is the most important element of this game. The balls used for competitive matches are about 156-165 grams, with a lifted seam stitched on its equator. There is not a slight change in its fundamental design. But for some reason, the color of the cricket ball has changed. The traditional red ball was used for the test and one-day internationals till the late ’80s.
The white ball was introduced by Kerry Packer in 1978 during WSC. The cricket administrators were impressed by the efficiency of the white ball during day-night matches. ICC soon adopted it as the ball used in limited-overs cricket.
The red ball was still used in test matches till 2009 when CA recommended using the pink ball as a replacement. The idea was to use a ball visible at night and can last for at least 80 overs. India played a Test against Bangladesh in 2016 with the pink ball which was a success.
These changes may have changed the visuals of the game but its core elements remain intact. We may see a few changes in the future too which will further make cricket more attractive.
