International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport’s governing body, named Aramco, the second-largest company in the world, as its global partner.
The partnership will include Aramco sponsorship of all major men’s and women’s ICC events scheduled until the end of 2023, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, which starts from October 16.
It also includes the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, the ICC World Test Championship Final in the UK, and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
Financial details of the sponsorship was not disclosed.
Aramco, which has a market capitalisation of $2.07 trillion and second only to Apple ($2.29 trillion), has been granted naming rights for ICC Player of the Match awards, which is an important part of the global telecast.
Geoff Allardice, ICC Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to welcome Aramco into the family of ICC global partners. Our shared commitment to excellence is the foundation of the partnership and we are looking forward to working with Aramco on our major men’s and women’s events.”
The partnership will connect Aramco with a global cricket audience of more than one billion cricket fans, as the company expands its mission to deliver affordable, reliable and more sustainable energy to customers around the world.
It also reflects a shared focus on sustainability and innovation, as the ICC moves towards making cricket a more sustainable sport. Aramco recycling machines will be installed across all seven match venues in Australia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later this month. Plastic waste recycled from these machines will be converted into clothing for future ICC events.
Talal Al-Marri, Aramco Global Public Affairs General Manager, said: “This represents a significant addition to our network of global partnerships and we are pleased to join forces with the ICC. Excellence is one of our core values and this is reflected in our support of cricket at the elite level.”
Aramco had earlier tested the water with their sponsorship of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year. It became the title sponsor of the league’s Orange and Purple Caps. The Orange Cap is awarded to the highest run-scorer, while the bowler with the highest wickets gets the Purple Cap.
The 2021 T20 World Cup had nearly 10,000 hours of live coverage, offered across TV and digital platforms in 200 countries. The event garnered a record television reach of 167 million.
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