Cricket whites, also known as flannels, is the term used for the kit or uniform worn by most cricketers.

Originally, as indicated by the name whites, flannels were exclusively white or cream. Today, many competitions (particularly in the shortened one-day version of cricket) are played in coloured kit, also known jocularly as pyjamas.

Flannels were originally made from a variety of flannel materials. Typically, modern flannels will have trousers made with a high elastic content, to prevent damage while fielding. Shirts and jumpers can be short or long-sleeved, the former being particularly favoured by bowlers. Wicketkeepers mostly wear long-sleeved shirts, in order to avoid abrasions from the grass when diving for the ball. Jumpers are traditionally made with a cable-knit design.

The term flannels is also used in baseball, especially in a historical context when the uniforms were made of wool flannel.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Sat Jan 2 06:13:44 2010