Are The Men Of Cricket Losing The Off-field Glam Game?

At atime when the confluence of sports and fashion is at its peak, one can't help but wonder why the world's second-most popular sport hasn't yet boarded this train

- Ravi Raj

Modern Sports might be plagued with a plethora of ills, from ruptured finance to the profit-over-people model, but there's one aspect where they have captured everyone's attention: fashion. The art of trendsetting is no longer an exclusive domain of film stars and rock stars. Today, sport stars are among the most influential when it comes to setting sartorial trends. Or, why else would these luxury fashion houses be pursuing these athletes? From Camavinga walking for Balenciaga to Trent AlexanderArnold appearing for Louis Vuitton's SS24 show, these footballers have become fashion week royalty. Lewis Hamilton, the F1 legend, walked the Met Gala 2024 in a custom all-black Burberry suit. Elsewhere, Italy's Jannik Sinner challenged the hallowed tradition of Wimbledon's all-white policy by coming out with a Gucci duffle bag. Louis Vuitton also announced Victor Wembanyama, the rising star of the NBA, as their new brand ambassador.

However, amidst the rising trend of seamless collaboration between sports and fashion, there remains a notable absence: the representation of cricketers fronting these luxury fashion labels. The question arises as to why fashion houses are yet to embrace the world's second most popular sport. Cricket remains a game most stubborn to its origin and averse to change of any kind. Those who defy norms of any sort are reviled. And these acts of dissent are not restricted to the playing ground.

Even something as inconsequential as a bleached faux hawk would earn you some unwarranted hate (ask Kevin Pietersen).