Every cricket team in the world ranging from domestic teams to international teams are referred to by a name. Many of the cricket teams around the world are known by a second name as well. These names are not official names but are nicknames.
Reasons Behind Nicknames
There is a wide variety of reasons behind countries having a certain nickname. The cricket teams of India and New Zealand are known as Men in Blue and Black Caps respectively. The nicknames of these two cricketing nations stem from the colour of their cricket jerseys. The Indians wear a blue coloured jersey on the cricket field whereas the New Zealand cricketers wear a black coloured jersey on the ground traditionally.
Some of the nicknames given to cricketing nations are due to something which is quite specific to their country.
The Australian players are commonly referred to as the Kangaroos. This is because kangaroos are quite endemic in this country. The kangaroo also figures in the coat of arms of the country as well as on the Cricket Australia logo.
Similarly, the New Zealand players are called the Kiwis because the kiwi bird is found in New Zealand.
Just like the kangaroo is the national animal of Australia, the Protea cynaroides commonly known as the king protea is the national flower of South Africa. The flower is found on the Cricket South Africa crest as well and is the reason why the South African team are known as the Proteas.
Other Popular Nicknames
The Sri Lankan cricket team is nicknamed the Islanders since the players come from the island nation.
Sri Lankan players are also referred to as the Lions similar to the Bangladeshi players who are called the Tigers. This is because the Lion and the Royal Bengal Tiger are the national animals of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively.
The Pakistani cricket team has a number of nicknames due to the green jerseys they were while playing. These include Men in Green, The Gang Green, The Green Shirts and Green Army.
The smaller cricketing nations like Nepal and Papua New Guinea also have popular nicknames.
The Nepalese cricket team is called the Gurkhas and the Rhinos. The nickname Gurkhas come from the famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The rhino features prominently in the Cricket Association of Nepal logo.
The Papua New Guinea team are known as Barramundi, named after a fish found in the seas of the region.
Franchise Cricket Team Names
Franchise cricket teams also follow a specific pattern while naming their cricket team.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore who play in the Indian Premier League are owned by business tycoon Vijay Mallya. They are named after one of the products owned by Mr. Mallya.
Certain franchises name their team after something which is endemic to the region their team represents. The Jamaica Tallawahs are a team who play in the Caribbean Premier League. They are named with the suffix Tallawahs which is endemic to Jamaica.
In some cases, the same franchise owns multiple teams across different leagues. The Red Chillies Entertainment company own teams in the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and the T20 Global League. All of their teams have the suffix Knight Riders as in Kolkata Knight Riders, Trinbago Knight Riders and Cape Town Knight Riders.
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