West Indies players are wearing kits with blue shirt numbers during the first ODI against England at Edgbaston on Thursday (May 29): here's why.
West Indies won the toss and elected to field in the first of the three-match ODI series which marks Harry Brook's first assignment as England's white-ball captain.
As Matthew Forde took the new ball for the visitors and ran in to bowl, cameras caught his unusual shirt number. The right-arm quick was wearing a jersey with a blue-coloured number on the back, instead of the usual West Indies yellow that goes with their primary maroon colour.
Forde was not the only one with a blue shirt number as wicketkeeper and captain Shai Hope, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and batter Jewel Andrew had a similar kit on as well.
Why are West Indies players wearing kits with blue numbers?
West Indies players are wearing blue shirt numbers in support of the Blue for Bob initiative, which is a fund-raising and awareness campaign run by the Bob Willis Fund to fight prostate cancer.
Players had also lined up wearing blue caps ahead of the start of the match, while presenters and commentators for the game are all in blue attire as well.
Willis, the legendary England fast bowler who played 90 Tests between 1971 and 1984, picking up 325 wickets to go with 80 ODI wickets from 64 games, died of the disease in 2019, aged 70. Across his first-class career, Willis had 899 wickets from 308 matches.
What is the 'Blue for Bob' initiative?
The Bob Willis Fund was co-founded by his family members "to support critical research into prostate cancer in the hope that a nationally accessible, accurate screening programme may be introduced to save the lives of much loved men".
As ECB's official men's white-ball charity partner, Blue for Bob are celebrating their fifth annual event. Last year, July 27 was celebrated as the Blue for Bob day, on the second day of the England-West Indies Test match at Edgbaston. The 2023 event was held during the second day of the first Ashes Test on June 17, while in 2022, the event was observed during the India-England Test.
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