Cricket whites are notoriously impractical, as anyone who has bought indoor cricket nets will know.
But do you know where and how the striking sports uniform originated? The white uniform can be dated back to the mid-18th century. As a summer sport white was considered an obvious choice, and white was the only colour they had a lot of the appropriate fabrics in. Necessity is indeed, the mother of invention.
While the white uniform was growing increasingly standardised, teams would normally wear the clothes they had on them, until the late 19th century when local professional teams started to emerge.
Interestingly, the blinding white uniform was not just for the players, but also for the people who turned up to watch the game.
A fantastic quote by 18th century English cricketer Frederick Gale outlines the expectations he had of the people who came to watch him play cricket as well at the time.
“White is the colour for the cricket field, so put on your white flannel suit. And you shall have a piece of dandyism if you wear a straw hat and you may wear a band ribbon, provided it is good ribbon,” he is quoted as saying.
The thick heavy wool used in cricket jumpers, despite the summer season for the sport, is another oddity that requires some explanation. At the time it was claimed that the wool would absorb perspiration better than any other fabric. Luckily, the wearing of these heavy jumpers for play has become increasingly unusual.
Long trousers were of course used due to the typically tougher ground that many players were playing on, unlike football for example.
Read more about the history of the cricket uniform in the Telegraph.
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