16 October 2023 , 09:57
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England's embarrassing defeat to Afghanistan on Sunday means that Jos Buttler's side have more than enough problems to deal with at the Cricket World Cup, but now their kit has become an issue too.
The holders lost by 69 runs in Delhi as Afghanistan pulled off perhaps the greatest ever shock in the competition's history, with Jos Buttler's side having now lost two of their three matches in India four years on from their glorious World Cup victory on home soil.
Eagle-eyed fans watching those three matches noted that it wasn't just England's batting, bowling and fielding which was an issue, with the players sporting mismatched kit in each of their matches so far.
In their first two matches at the tournament against New Zealand and Bangladesh, the name 'England' could be seen in different fonts and sizes on the front of the players' Castore-manufactured shirts.
This was put down to a third-party error, but after a new batch of shirts was ordered for the match against Afghanistan it was the printing on the back of them which became a problem, with England's players sporting two different fonts for their names and numbers.
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Jos Buttler was among the players to sport different fonts on his shirt when fielding and batting (Getty Images)
The England skipper was bowled out for just 9 (Getty Images)Some players wore both of the different fonts during the match, with Buttler among several of the players to have their name and shirt number look noticeably different from the first innings to the second.
The problem with the shirts is the latest unfortunate issue to befall Castore, who admittedly aren't solely responsible for the name and number printing.
The British manufacturer hit the headlines last month when Aston Villa's men's and women's teams complained about their kits in the current Premier League and Women's Super League seasons.
Aston Villa's players have complained about the 'wet-look' to their shirts this season (Dennis Goodwin/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)Villa's shirts, when introduced to sweat, often take on a 'wet-look' which makes them heavy and uncomfortable to play in according to the players, with the women's team in particular voicing their concern.
The club are seeking an early termination of their kit deal at the end of this season, although a temporary fix on the kits is expected to be reached soon.
Speaking on the Villa issue, Castore said: "There has been some media speculation about a potential issue in the football kit supplied by Castore to Aston Villa Football Club. We are working closely in collaboration with the club to address this issue as quickly as possible to meet the standards we expect. We would like to thank the club for their patience and support to date.
"As a proud new British brand, we always hold ourselves to the highest of standards and strive to do everything we can to constantly improve the performance of our products. This means addressing any customer concerns with promptness and humility."