The South African cricket team will wear a pink jersey instead of their traditional green jersey in the first ODI between India and South Africa on Sunday, December 17. Pink Day ODI is a yearly event in which the Proteas raise breast cancer awareness.
Pink jerseys are now an annual fixture for the South African cricket team. Once a year, the Proteas team wears Pink Jerseys in a home ODI match. Supporters are invited to wear pink attire as well, making this event fully pinkish. The South African cricket team first donned the pink shirt in a home ODI against Pakistan in March 2013.
“We are delighted to once again raise awareness on breast cancer with cricket fans.”
COMPETITION TIME !
Want to be part of the #PinkDay experience? Well say no more we got you covered 😉 🎀
To stand a chance to win tickets, show your support to Breast Cancer Awareness by commenting with a 💗and #WozaNawe#BePartOfIt #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/Hu3iG8X8wa
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) December 16, 2023
“To help in the fight against breast cancer, awareness alone is not enough. We encourage people to be proactive and get screened. Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer among women in South Africa, but it can affect men as well. Early detection can lead to effective treatment and a positive outcome,” Cricket South Africa’s CEO Pholetsi Moseki said for the upcoming special occasion.
Cricket South Africa has invited all South Africans to wear pink shirts and support the cause by purchasing tickets and attending the match. Notably, the proceeds from the matches will go toward breast cancer research. Additionally, spectators are encouraged to wear pink regardless of where they are during the game as a sign of team togetherness and support for breast cancer awareness.
South Africa won the first match of the three-match T20I series against India, which concluded at 1-1. They will now try to start on a winning note in the upcoming ODI, which is set to begin on Sunday.
In their most recent ODI meeting, India defeated South Africa by 243 runs at the 2023 World Cup. However, many players, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have been rested, with a new-look India side led by KL Rahul taking part in this ODI series.
South Africa will also be without the services of Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Quinton de Kock for the three-match ODI series, as they were unavailable for the series on the home soil. Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma are likely to return to the team for the two-match test series.