Minor details can have a devastating effect and it is evident from what has happened during the historic Test match being played between Pakistan and Ireland.
Pakistan came out with all guns blazing against the Irish, wearing sweaters which were missing the green element, something which did not go unnoticed by former legend, Wasim Akram.
Akram posted a screenshot of Babar Azam with his sweater on. He captioned it with, ‘where is the stripe gone from sweater? Not cool.’ The former left-arm genius was referring to a traditional design which contained the green strip.
Absolutely. This strip has been our identity. Please let it be a symbol of recognition of Pakistani team.
— Mohammad Shakeel (@shahzar961) May 13, 2018
Here is a side-by-side comparison:
Stripes vs. No Stripes
The concern raised by Akram got a lot of attention on social media as his words became viral and prompted a response from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The official account of PCB posted:
Thank you @wasimakramlive for pointing this out. We are going to seriously inquire into the matter. https://t.co/5FOgzrNAPa
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) May 13, 2018
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan’s kit is manufactured by an third-party firm called AJ Sports. Although the board does provide input, the design is largely presented by the firm itself.
The last time Pakistan played in the Test match format — in UAE — the green strip was missing back then as well. However, a source close to board claims that kits are evolved series after series. He claimed that this is perhaps the series where the ‘clean look’ is being adopted.
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The source further claimed that Pakistan is no stranger to kit changes; for instance, often teams prefer white kits but Pakistan has brought back the cream and off-white kits.
It remains to be seen what will be the end to this controversy if PCB keeps their word that is.
What do you make of the situation? Should Pakistan bring back the green element to their kits or not?
well the way they are playing and the shallow captaincy of Sarfaraz in test matches, they don’t deserve the green stripe
HAHAHAHHA