Uganda have been forced to change their kit for the T20 World Cup days before the start of the competition to satisfy ICC requirements.
The nation is playing in its first-ever men's T20 World Cup, and will begin their campaign against Afghanistan on June 3 in Guyana. Ahead of the tournament, they ran a public competition to design their jersey, and narrowed down entrants to three finalists in February, before selecting the winning design in mid-March.
The winning design came from Elijah Mangeni, who drew inspiration from the grey-crowned crane, which is the country's national bird. The design had a yellow base, with faint wing detailing on the sides of the chest, as well as red and black details on the sleeves in the shape of feathers. Mangeni described his work as: "Where elegance meets strength, mirroring Uganda's resilient spirit. The bold blend of vibrant colours symbolises unity, echoing the national pride. The jersey, with its feather-inspired patterns, pays homage to the majestic crested crane capturing the essence of grace and power."
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However, the ICC has stipulated that Uganda must remove the feathered pattern on the sleeves in order for sponsor logos to be more clearly visible. They are allowed to keep the faint wing outlines on the torso, but feather detailing on the trousers has also been largely removed.
The kit change was revealed before the team flew out to the Caribbean, in a ceremony for the players ahead of their trip. Uganda Cricket Association public relations officer, Musali Denis said: "The ICC asked for a change in the design but we didn’t have enough time to make the required changes and had to compromise on the winning design. We lost just about 20 per cent of the original design, but the rest of the design is the same."
The T20 World Cup will begin this weekend on June 1, with the opening match between USA and Canada in New York.
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