The Lady Gaga's of Cricket - worst cricket kits
Once upon a time, cricket was a game played in whites on lovely sunny days. But in 1977, a certain media tycoon, Kerry Packer found it too boring to watch men clad in white chase a red ball on a green field. So he decided to spice it up with his World Series Cricket, where cricket went for a complete makeover. In came the flood lights, the white flannels gave way to colored “pyjamas” and the red cherry got replaced by a white one.
Since then, limited overs cricket had gone through various modifications. The sixty overs got cut down to fifty and now trimmed to twenty! T20 cricket has brought in various new forms of entertainment on the cricket field. Cheerleaders, DJs, time outs and also some funny costumes. Though most of the kits are “cool”, some teams decide to experiment with the color palate. The result so far, has been quite a sight!
So here’s a look at a few Lady Gaga’s of the cricket world…
Sydney Sixers
They might have won the first edition of the Big Bash but that certainly doesn’t make their kit any smarter. The deep pink combined with black and decorated with white stars is certainly far from being sober. May be a Brett Lee can pull it off, but as a team they looked like a circus party.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Yet another Brett Lee side makes the list. As the IPL grows older, KKR’s jersey goes from worse to worst. The team wore a smart black and gold in the first two edition of the IPL (which was incidentally a rip off of the Rocky Balboa shorts!). The third season, however, saw Shah Rukh Khan’s side change into purple and gold. Matched with golden pads and helmets, the KKR side looks more like cheerleaders than cricketers. What’s worse is the numerous number of logos that it boasts off. Who can forget the STAR PLUS logo on the back!
Middlesex
Another team that’s obsessed with pink shirts, this team looked like a bunch of strawberry flavored ice cream cones. The 2012 edition has taken it a step further now. From a depressing combo of baby pink and black, their new shirt is a combination of four colors. Pink, purple and two shades of blue.
Dhaka Gladiators
The winners of the inaugural edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Though the team boasted of heavyweights like Shahid Afridi, Kieron Pollard and Saeed Ajmal, they certainly were a let down as far as their kit was concerned. A combination of orange, royal blue, yellow and black forced the television viewers to decrease the color tone on their TV sets!
Windward Islands
One of the semi finalists of the Carribean T20 tournament, the Windward Islands got it all wrong when designing their kit. A combination of bright yellow and bright green with a red border made them blend in with the field they were playing on. Camouflage at it’s very best!
Barbados
Another Carribean side with lots of color. If Windward Island were bright, the Barbados team were flashy. A combination of yellow and electric blue did send a shock through the viewers’ pupils and players like Suleiman Benn only added to the agony!
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
The now disbanded team from the IPL, was the undisputed winner of the worst kit award. They created a bigger flash with their kit than their performance. A combination of orange and purple and S. Sreesanth made you wonder whether the kit makers were color blind. If not for failing to pay up, IPL should have simply banned them for wearing such a uniform.
Chennai Superstars
The alter ego of the Chennai Super Kings from the rebel ICL. If the Super Kings canary yellow bugged you, the Superstars pink made you nauseous. Pink, florescent green, black, white, stars, stripes they had it all. Although most of the ICL teams had forgettable kits, Chennai stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Papua New Guinea
Represented by the former England keeper Geraint Jones, Papua New Guinea made their international debut the previous year. They are the strongest team in the ICC’s East Asia/Pacific region, having won the gold medal in the South Pacific cricket games on all five occasions that it has taken place. They also hold the world record for the highest score in an international one-day match, 572/7 against New Caledonia in 2007 but they score a precious few if we talk about their kit. Predominately black, their kit is ornamented by a bright red and yellow V neck., that makes it an eye sore. Also the yellow side panel below the sleeves and the red and black stripe panel on the shoulders makes them look far from stylish.
German Cricket Team
If their football kit is one of the smartest, their cricket gear is miles from being that. Donning their traditional red, yellow and black, the kit makes a mockery of all cricket gears. Though they are currently ranked 37th in the world in cricket, their gear is definitely right up there with the worsts!