They say a sportsperson spends nearly 45 per cent of his life in sports gear. These are modern times, with colourful jerseys making sporting events more vibrant than ever. Cricket jerseys have evolved over the years. The advent of T20 cricket has led to more and more teams sporting their colours and layouts.
Among Test-playing nations, New Zealand’s always attracted attention for its striking kits, from 1980 when it stood out for its beige colour to the now-signature black kit which has earned them the sobriquet Black Caps.
The early and mid-1990s saw New Zealand switch to grey. A colour with which the team achieved considerable ODI success, including a 50-over World Cup semifinal appearance when they were co-hosts in 1992 and won eight consecutive matches. Skipper Martin Crowe innovatively opened the bowling with off-spinner Dipak Patel and employed Mark Greatbatch at the top of the order as international cricket’s first pinch hitter.
New Zealand reached the semifinals of the 1992 50-over World Cup in a grey jersey. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
But its 2000 Champions Trophy title win came in peacock blue. However, soon after, New Zealand shifted to black and remained in those colours for over a decade.
New Zealand cricket team wore the black jersey for more than a decade. | Photo Credit: AFP
In 2014, New Zealand decided to opt for different colours in ODIs and T20s. For ODIs, they went for a blue-black look while switching to a golden-yellow canary look in T20s.
Daniel Vettori of New Zealand is congratulated on taking his 300th career ODI wicket to dismiss Nawroz Mangal of Afghanistan during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Afghanistan. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
But soon, the Kiwis switched back to black, with shades of blue and grey making a secondary appearance now and then. This year saw New Zealand again switching back to black and grey first and then blue and black.
This year has seen New Zealand switching back to black and grey jersey first and then blue and black.
The black and blue version is the latest as they played the recent t20 series against India in this jersey. What is most striking about this jersey is how the blue colour seamlessly blends with the primary black colour making it stand out.
What is most striking about this jersey is how the blue colour seamlessly blends with the primary black colour making it stand out.
What is even more attractive about the blue is that it matches the logo, making it the most beautiful New Zealand jersey of all time.
The author is a professional Indian classical dancer.
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