Printing Errors on Shirts Leave English Cricket Team in Disarray at World Cup

The English national cricket team’s uniforms were anything but uniform when they took to the oval for their match at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India this week.

The English team faced Bangladesh on Tuesday, October 10, winning by 137 runs. But more of the chatter around the game involved the defending World Cup champions’ kits, manufactured by Castore, which featured “ENGLAND” written across the midsection in inconsistent fonts.

Some kits also had the Castore logo on the right sleeve and the logo on sponsor Cinch on the left — matching the kits being sold through the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) website — while others had them on the opposite sleeves.

*Courtesy **@EnglandCricket** / Twitter*

The printing error also plagued the England squad in their first World Cup match against New Zealand on Thursday, October 5.

Fox Sports Australia reports that the ECB issued a statement that read in part: “There was a printing issue on one batch of shirts by a third party which we are working to resolve.” They also report that, according to The Guardian, the mishap should be fixed in time for England’s next game against Afghanistan on Sunday, October 15, with all shirts using the smaller font.

The printing gaffe only adds to the woes of Castore lately. According to The Athletic, Premier League football club Aston Villa is very unhappy with the shirts provided by Castore this season and may look to terminate their contract early. The chief concern is that the shirts absorb too much water and sweat, weighing players down during matches.