Australian Test shirts to include player numbers and initials
The Australian playing shirts will include several new features when the first Orange Test match against New Zealand gets underway at The Gabba, Brisbane.
In addition to sporting the logo of the new sponsor, which is present for the first time after the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) & Hutchison Telecom concluded a five-year, multi-million dollar agreement last month, the shirts will also feature each player's initials and cap number.
The appearance of the cap numbers and initials followed a request by the players for their inclusion during discussions with ACB officials at the forum for contracted players held in Melbourne in late September.
The players had been impressed by the England players' shirts, which had the same features, during the recent Ashes series.
Australian captain Stephen Waugh said: "The use of player numbers began when they appeared on the caps of the Australian one-day squad during the World Cup in 1999.
"As captain, I wanted that to happen because I felt it was a form of the game that needed some traditions and more respect.
"One way of achieving that respect was to start the tradition for players to own their caps and know what number they were in the list of players who played for Australia.
"It obviously struck a cord with other players and administrators around the world because several other countries have now followed suit in either or both forms of the game.
"It's very pleasing that the Australian Cricket Board has agreed that the tradition should extend into the Test arena with the numbered and personalised Test shirts.
"Each player likes to know what number they are because it allows every one of us that has been fortunate enough to play for Australia to know our place in history.
"And with only 384 Australian players reaching Test level it is another way of making us all realise how privileged we are to represent our country and what a special honour it is."
The Australian player numbers for the first Orange Test match are:
Stephen Waugh (335), Adam Gilchrist (381), Andrew Bichel (371), Jason Gillespie (370), Matthew Hayden (359), Justin Langer (354), Brett Lee (383), Damien Martyn (353), Glenn McGrath (358), Ricky Ponting (366), Shane Warne (350), Mark Waugh (349).
Tickets are still available for the first Orange Test match at The Gabba from Ticketmaster7 on 1300 13 61 22 or www.ticketmaster.com
© 2001 Australian Cricket Board
| Teams | Australia. |
| Players/Umpires | Steve Waugh. |
| Tours | New Zealand in Australia |
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