Former batter Damien Martyn has loathed the presence of an enlarged sponsor logo on Test jersey of Australian cricketers. Particularly finding faults with such logos appearing on the front side of a jersey, Martyn took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express disapproval of the presence of multiple logos in an international match belonging to the ancestral format.
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Martyn, who represented Australia 279 times across formats between 1992-2006, uploaded a photo of Travis Head, Steven Smith and Pat Cummins standing during the national anthem before the ongoing first Test match against Pakistan in Perth yesterday.
“When has the test team started to put sponsors logo large on the front? Terrible look in test cricket. Just my old school opinion though”, Martyn wrote on X.
Martyn, instead, expressed approval of the prospect that logos should be particularly restricted to arms in this format. Martyn’s conventional thought process received an instant validation from former Indian batter Hemang Badani.
When Was Sponsor Logo On Test Jersey Allowed In Cricket?
With regard to the jersey, Test cricket has had a long and interesting history. A MeccaSports article details the evolution of sponsor logo on Test jersey. Against popular knowledge, the format, not at an international level though, began as a 16th-century sport when whites were only reserved for special occasions. On the contrary, frilled shirts and nankeen breeches were the norm.
That went on for another 200 or more years when Oxford shoes and white “beaver” hats also started to gain traction as the sport became more and more part of the English society. Fast forward a handful of centuries, and whites had started dominate the uniform in Test cricket at the highest level which commenced in 1877. The contemporary cricket sweater also took birth during this time in wintry England.
As cricket became ever so popular in the 21st century, Test cricket, too, found a way to attract top-notch sponsors. Once the business gained traction, it only grew from there like any other mode of generating money.
Following how jerseys in County Cricket and Sheffield Shield used to encompass names and numbers of players on the backside, Ashes 2019 was the first time when such a debatable reform was implemented in Test cricket.
Around three years ago, when cricket was shut down due to the the novel COVID-19 pandemic, global sponsors suffered across sports. During this time, ICC (International Cricket Council), providing a massive respite, allowed Test jerseys to comprise sponsor logos on the front side as well. Up until then, only three logos were allowed.
While the new look does make space for more revenue generation, it does bear as an eyesore to any traditional lover of Test cricket. A format of the game that existed and looked a particular way for centuries suddenly changing into something else will continue to entice criticism from traditionalists including myself.
Details Of Toyota-Cricket Australia Deal
As far as the presence of automotive manufacturer Toyota on the chest of Australian cricketers is concerned, Toyota and Cricket Australia signed a deal post a triumphant ICC Cricket World Cup 2013 campaign. This deal replaces a $40 million deal between Alinta Energy and CA.
At the moment, Toyota, a Japanese brand, has a bright, bold and black logo on the Australian jerseys. However, their association with CA is more than a decade long.
Since 2012, Toyota has been a supporter of Australia Cricket and has partnered with several of CA’s programmes like KFC BBL, Weber WBBL, CA’s inclusion and diversity programme and community cricket through Toyota Good for Cricket Programme, as per a cricket.com.au article.
