Best fabric for cricket shirts: which knit to pick for heat, sun and long days

The best fabric for a cricket shirt is a light, breathable polyester knit of about 160 GSM, fully sublimated so the colours are dyed into the fabric rather than printed on top. For hot Australian summers, an open knit such as Classic Dotknit 160 breathes better than plain fabric; for long days in the field, the Signature collection adds an anti-microbial, UPF 50+ treatment; and for white shirts, a denser 190 GSM knit stays opaque. At Xipid a ready-design cricket shirt in Classic fabric is A$50, Jacquard A$60 and Signature A$70, names and numbers included. See every design on our custom cricket shirts page.

There are three collections and ten knits. Classic is our everyday match fabric, Jacquard has a texture woven into the cloth, and Signature adds an anti-microbial, UPF 50+ treatment. All of them are polyester built for sublimation.

Prices are list prices in Australian dollars, per piece, before the volume discount (from 5% off the first piece to 35% off at 100 or more). Delivery is included, with no GST or import charges to pay on delivery. Full sleeve adds A$5 and polo collars A$10. For how fabrics work across every sport, see the jersey fabrics guide.

A day of cricket keeps players in the sun for hours, and fielders sweat steadily rather than in short bursts. The fabric has to let that heat out, dry quickly and take some of the sun. Four things help:

• ✓Open knits. Dotknit's fine pores and Long Mesh's larger channels move more air than a plain surface. Airlite 140 is our lightest micro-mesh.
• ✓Sun protection. The Signature collection carries a UPF 50+ treatment, worth having when the team fields through a summer afternoon.
• ✓Freshness. Signature is also anti-microbial, which helps a shirt that is worn for a full day and then packed in a kit bag.
• ✓Sweat marks. Rise Knit's raised rib hides sweat marks, which is handy for nets and training sessions.

White shirts are made on a white base with your club colours on the collar, sleeves and panels. A light fabric can look see-through when it is white and wet, so for white shirts we suggest Signature Plain 190, our densest, most opaque knit with a matte finish.

Coloured kit for T20, one-day and social competitions can use any fabric, because sublimation dyes the colour all the way through. Pick by weather and budget: Classic Dotknit for heat, Jacquard if you want a texture that reads premium in team photos, Signature for the longest days.

Any cricket style can be full sleeve for A$5 more, so an A$50 half-sleeve Classic shirt is A$55 in full sleeve. Full sleeves keep direct sun off the arms through a long day in the field and give the traditional look; half sleeves are cooler for short formats and humid evenings. Each player can choose their own sleeve in the same order and the same design. Read full sleeve vs half sleeve cricket shirts to decide.

Every Xipid shirt is fully sublimated. Heat turns the ink into a gas that bonds inside the polyester, so the crest, names, numbers and sponsor logos become part of the fabric. There is no layer on top to crack or peel, and nothing extra to block airflow, which matters in the heat. Read more in sublimation vs screen printing.

Every design is sublimated into the fabric. If you want an embroidered or printed logo on top, ask us on WhatsApp and we quote it as an add-on.

Wash cold and inside out on a gentle cycle with mild detergent, skip bleach and fabric softener, and line dry in the shade rather than in a hot dryer or full summer sun. Fabric softener can coat performance fabric and reduce breathability. The full routine is in how to wash sublimated jerseys.

Want to see the colours on a shirt first? Design your kit on a 3D model in Kit Studio, or ask us for a fabric swatch. Budgeting the whole squad? See what a cricket uniform costs.