What does a set of cricket whites actually consist of, and how much of it does a Year 8 need before the first fixture? These are the questions we get asked most often in the fortnight before the season starts, usually by a parent holding a kit list that says "cricket whites" and nothing else. Here are the answers.
Are cricket whites actually white?
Mostly no. The traditional colour is cream, and the majority of what gets sold as cricket whites is somewhere between off-white and a light beige. Some school kit is genuinely white, particularly polo-style shirts, and some club kit is a fairly deep cream.
The practical consequence is that shades do not match across brands. A cream trouser next to a white shirt looks like a mistake rather than a choice. If you are buying shirt and trousers separately, get them from the same range where you can, and if you are topping up an existing set, take a photo of what you already have rather than trusting memory.
What do schools and clubs actually ask for?
Most secondary schools want a plain white or cream shirt, white or cream trousers, and white socks. Beyond that it varies more than parents expect.
- Many schools use a specific school cricket shirt with the crest on it, bought through their own supplier. Buying generic whites in that case wastes money.
- Plenty of schools accept a plain white polo shirt for junior year groups and only insist on a proper cricket shirt higher up.
- Some allow white tracksuit bottoms for younger years, indoor cricket or early-season sessions.
- A jumper or sleeveless slipover is often listed as optional, sometimes with school-coloured trim, sometimes plain.
The list is usually more specific than "cricket whites" if you ask. It is a two-minute email to the PE department and it is worth sending before ordering anything.
Clubs, meanwhile, generally want whites for any timed or longer-format cricket, and increasingly have a separate coloured kit for T20 and limited-overs fixtures, in club colours with a crest.
That second set is nearly always ordered through the club rather than bought off a shelf, because it carries the badge and often a squad number. Do not buy coloured playing kit independently and assume it will pass. Ask the junior section organiser what is club-supplied and what is down to you.
For whites themselves, clubs are usually relaxed about brand. Plain, clean and the right shade is the whole requirement.
Short sleeves or long?
Short sleeve for the shirt, in almost every case. It is the more comfortable option for the ten weeks of the year when English cricket is played in weather that justifies short sleeves, and it is what most players wear.
Layer over the top rather than buying both. A long-sleeve cricket jumper or a sleeveless slipover covers the cold mornings, the September fixtures and standing at fine leg in a breeze. One short-sleeve shirt plus a jumper is a more useful pair of purchases than two shirts.
What fabric should I look for?
Nearly all modern whites are polyester or a poly-cotton blend. They dry fast, resist creasing, hold their shape and survive a lot of washing, which matters more than it sounds when a child plays twice a week.
Pure cotton whites still exist and feel lovely. They also crease, take a day to dry and shrink if anyone gets the wash temperature wrong. For a growing junior, the blend is the sensible call.
For trousers, look at the waist before anything else. An adjustable internal waistband is the single feature that buys an extra season on a growing child, and it is common on junior sizing. Check the leg length too — cricket trousers are meant to break on the shoe, not flap around the ankle.
How many do I actually need?
Two pairs of trousers, one shirt, one jumper is the sensible baseline for anyone playing regularly.
The reason is the trousers. Whites pick up grass stains, red ball marks and mud, and a child playing Saturday and midweek does not give you time to get a pair properly clean and dry between fixtures. Shirts survive better because the damage is mostly on the knees and backside. If the budget only stretches so far, put it into the second pair of trousers rather than a second shirt.
Buy roomy rather than exact on trousers, since a slightly long leg can be turned up and a slightly generous waist can be pulled in. Do not do the same with the shirt, where a size too big looks like a nightshirt on a twelve-year-old.
How do I get the stains out?
Deal with them the same day. That is most of it.
- Knock off dried mud before it goes anywhere near water. Wet mud spreads; dry mud brushes off.
- Pre-treat grass and red ball marks with a stain remover or a paste of biological powder and a little water. Leave it 20 to 30 minutes rather than washing straight away.
- Wash whites separately at 30 or 40 degrees. Hotter is not better on polyester and can set protein stains permanently.
- Skip chlorine bleach on anything with polyester in it. It yellows the fabric over time, which is exactly the outcome you are trying to avoid.
- Dry on a line where possible. Sunlight bleaches gently and for free. Keep tumble dryers on low if you use one at all.
Nothing gets a set of whites back to showroom condition after a full season, and nobody expects it. The aim is clean and consistent, not new.
What else comes with the whites?
White or cream socks, cricket shoes and a cap or sun hat cover the rest of the visible kit. Shoes matter more than the whites do — spikes or rubber studs depending on what the club or school allows, and grip that suits a grass square. Sunscreen and a decent pair of sunglasses are not on any kit list and are on every sensible player's bag list.
You will find whites, jumpers and socks in our clothing range, cricket shoes in footwear, and the rest of the playing kit in the cricket collection. If your school has a specific requirement, our schoolwear side supplies over forty schools and we can usually tell you what yours asks for.