New Delhi: In a bid to further popularise Test cricket the International Cricket Council (ICC) has allowed players to have their names and numbers on the back of their shirts starting with the World Test Championship from August 1.
The Ashes series between England and Australia will be the first instance when the players will sport these jerseys.
“They will come into force on August 1 as part of the World Test Championship,” ICC General Manager Claire Furlong said.
The ICC in recent times has already taken major strides in the direction to highlight Test format — the introduction of the World Test Championship was in this line.
The championship will start from July 15 and go on till April 30, 2021, with the final being played in June 2021.
With an aim to attract more fans to the game, the ICC has approved the idea of having players’ names and numbers on their shirts even in the longest format of the gentleman’s game.
The World Test Championship, whose calendar was released in June 2018, is being seen as a tool to make bilateral ties more contextual.
The move to introduce jerseys with the name of players and their numbers will only make it more exciting for the fans who seem to be more interested to follow the shorter formats of the game.
IANS
