Aaron Finch's team will don an Indigenous-themed kit for the first time as they strive to defend their title on home soil, Australia has confirmed, even as excitement in India grows for the revelation of the 'Men in Blue' uniform for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.
The Australian team, which is attempting to defend the T20 World Cup on home soil a year after winning the championship against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates, will wear jerseys with Aboriginal artwork while England will wear a predominantly red uniform. The Australian team's jerseys will have black sleeves and a green and gold gradient on the trunk of the playing top.
"The black slacks and black cap will have the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on the brim, while the long-sleeved version will have the gold and green artwork extended onto the sleeves of the top. The uniform was created by Aunty Fiona Clarke and Courtney Hagen in partnership with Asics; the two have previously collaborated on other Indigenous Australian clothing designs "Wednesday's report on cricket.com.au stated this.
The Walkabout Wickets artwork, which has evolved into a dominant theme, is once again centred on the front of the shirt, according to the source.
The report continued, "Walkabout Wickets was painted by Clarke, a Kirrae Whurrong woman who is the great, great granddaughter of James "Mosquito" Couzens, who participated in the Aboriginal XI in a historic match at the MCG in 1866 and also toured England in 1868, the first Australian sporting team to play abroad.
The artwork was made by Clarke in advance of the 2016 Boxing Day Test to honour the 150th anniversary of the 1866 game, according to the story, and has been displayed on the collar of the test shirt ever since.
Connection is a key motif for the jersey, which pays homage to past, current, and upcoming First Nations cricketers.
"The whole design is about connecting with yourself as an individual, as a team, with the community, and whatever is around you," said Clarke. "With the river, the land, anything you see."
Hagen, a Butchulla and Gubbi Gubbi woman, claimed that the pattern featured stars to commemorate ancestors and wickets to indicate games played.
"The colours of the two First Nations flags of Australia are represented in the middle. Consequently, the Torres Strait Islander flag is blue, white, and green, while the Aboriginal flag is red, black, and yellow."
Since the first Test in 1877, two Indigenous women and four Indigenous males have represented Australia in international cricket.
India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe are among the nations that have yet to reveal their jerseys.
ICC T20 World Cup (First round)
Group A: Sri Lanka, Namibia, UAE, Netherlands.
Group B: West Indies, Scotland, Ireland, Zimbabwe.
Super 12 stage
Group 1: Australia, Afghanistan, England, New Zealand, A1, B2
Group 2: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, B1, A2