Pakistan Cricket Team Due To Tour England, Finally Secure Team Sponsor

The Pakistan Cricket team are due to play England in England. In the context of the current situation where cricket is still trying its best to get back to normality, the big relief being brought by the West Indies currently tackling the English challenge, it’s big news. Moreover, the tour to England is also massive for Pakistan personally, who’ll get a great shot at success, poised to play three Tests and as many T20 internationals.

Having said that, much before the tour to England was announced, the Pakistan cricket team were reeling with a strange challenge that made much of their existential cricketing journey a tough one.

Surprising that it may sound, the national Pakistan cricket team was unable to find a brand sponsor. The main sponsor for the Pakistan national team. Although now, it appears that things have changed for the better.

Right in time for the high-octane English tour, due to begin early August, the Pakistan cricket team have finally found the main sponsor, although, the monetary aspect of this much-awaited deal are anything but sound for the Babar Azam-led side.

So what exactly happened?

While on the one hand, it’s a good piece of news that the national Pakistan cricket team is no longer without a leading sponsor, the financial returns, it appears, are rather underwhelming for the side that got a rather cheap bargain in return.

What’s making news in the cricketing world is that the Pakistan cricket team have got a sponsor for far less amount than the cricket board would’ve envisaged.

Although, in the context of the team having been spared from the rather embarrassing predicament of going sponsor-less is saved and things are fine, but the financial returns are anything but sound for the team.

A detailed account of what there for Pakistan cricket can be understood by the following excerpt published on noted site News 18:

Transmedia has offered 600 million rupees for a three-year deal for the main logo on the Pakistan team’s jerseys and kits. The Board after facing disappointment on several fronts has now decided to sign a one-year deal for 200 million rupees on a pro-rata basis,” the source is known to have said.

The source said the PCB could rebid for the logo rights next year.

Pepsi had a three-year deal with PCB worth up to USD 5.5 million for the main logo on Pakistan team’s jerseys and kits. But the contract expired last month, and the company chose not to renew it, offering only around 30 percent of the USD 5.5 million amount, according to the source.

“It is disappointing the way things have gone as far as marketing is concerned because the top officials had contacted different multi-national and top brand local companies to sell the logo rights but they didn’t get a good response due to the Covid-19 situation.”

That being said, cricket-wise, the series offers a great prospect to see the two sides battle it out, where one would love to see the likes of Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, and Mark Wood challenge the willow of arguably, one of the finest bat in the game today- Babar Azam.