It was once the case that everything in the world was subject to change, except cricket. No more. The new Indian Premier League promises to bring all the subtlety associated with American football to this once venerated sport, while the appeal of the Twenty20 version of the game is such that it cannot be long before the Test match is abandoned in favour of one slog each at a single bowled ball. That ball, incidently, might be pink, as MCC is testing whether this colour assists visibility.

Even the kit is no longer deemed sacred. Since the dawn of time, cricketers have been decked in a uniform that, while called “whites”, was slightly off-white or cream. This noble attire was supplemented by the beloved cable-knitted sweater. Yet the latest England “strip”, unveiled at Lord's yesterday, represents a wholesale surrender to fashion. The shirt and trousers are so brilliant white that they could come accompanied by the Dulux dog, while the jumper has been jettisoned for a tight-fitting top that leaches the sweat off the body in the style of Tour de France cyclists.

It is not an appealing spectacle. Where will it end? Will pads be deemed too dull and replaced by reinforced leg-warmers? Would a hardened beret be more hip than a crash helmet for those who have to see off the opening bowlers? And what will happen to those sheep who have until now protected Michael Vaughan on a chilly morning at Headingley? Cricketers and their sweaters used to be akin to knights and shining armour. England's cricketers have set off on a few hapless campaigns in the past few years. This is one that can surely be won: bring back the cable-knit.