Middlesex become Pink Panthers

Cricket's original Pink Panther is a larger than life England fan who follows the team with Sylvester

Twenty20 Cup champions Middlesex have announced a change to their limited-overs name, from Crusaders to Panthers, ahead of schedule - following detective work by the national media.

The county had planned to reveal the change of identity at their pre-season press launch in mid-March, but the news came to light yesterday.

Middlesex’s Twenty20 triumph and subsequent appearance in the Stanford Super Series made their pink kit, in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, famous around the world.

Captain Shaun Udal’s team were denied the opportunity to promote the cause further when the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League was cancelled in December following the Mumbai terror attacks.

However, they will no doubt be nicknamed the ‘Pink Panthers’, after the 1963 comedy detective film and subsequent cartoon series.