Virat Kohli's beard represents the new theory of Evolution

With the revelation by Australian researchers that males of primate species where social and physical conflict are common and individual recognition is limited tend to have more conspicuous ‘badges', one of the minor mysteries of this year appears to have been solved: why so many of members of the New Zealand team at the recently-concluded cricket World Cup sport beards. Given the pressures of making it in international cricket both on and off the field, growing beards to give themselves an edge — as proboscis monkeys elongate their noses or orangutans sprout leathery cheek flanges — seems to be a very understandable move by top-flight cricketers. Indeed, it may be a measure of the rising stress levels of the game that there is hardly a team now whose members do not have beards, ranging from a bristly Virat Kohli stubble to a W G Grace-like flowing appendage.

Skin cancer apprehensions also lead many men to cover up or face the consequences, but the Australian conclusion is all the more relevant as cricketers are representative of a wider facial hair trend among human males in high-pressure occupations. Not only are beards seen in other premier sports but are also very visible in the cut-throat worlds of technology and the creative arts. The underlying question is, of course, will humans ever stop acting like monkeys?