The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FLANNELS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
F
L
A
N
N
E
L
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Provides soft soap/cloths for the cricket team" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case provides soft soap/cloths for the cricket team = flannels.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does FLANNELS mean?
FLANNELS noun- A soft cloth material woven from wool, possibly combined with cotton or synthetic fibers.
- A washcloth.
- A flannel shirt.
- Soothing, plausible untruth or half-truth; claptrap.