Emirates extends support for cricket to ICC super series

Emirates has increased its support of international cricket by sponsoring the ICC Johnnie Walker Super Series, which will take place in Australia in October this year.

The ICC Super Series promises to be cricket's biggest ever battle, with Australia, the dominant team in world cricket for the past decade, taking on an ICC team of champions made up of the superstars of the game from around the world.

The teams will go head-to-head in three One Day Internationals at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne, and one six day Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with a prize of US$1 million - winner takes all - for the victorious team in the test. A specially convened ICC panel of selectors recently announced their picks for the One Day and Test teams, and there will be delight among cricket fans around the world at the stars who will be on show.

England fans will be watching out for Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Michael Vaughan and new sensation Kevin Pietersen.

After a summer of cricket against the Australians in the Ashes series, there will be points to prove against their Aussie foes, whatever the outcome of the rest of the summer series.

While ICC player of the year Rahul Dravid, along with Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble and the tailsmanic Sachin Tendulkar make up the Indian contingent, with Pakistan boasting Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and the heavy hitting Inzamam-Ul-Haq.

Sri Lankan is represented by Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara, while the West Indies players include Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle. Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum make up the Kiwi contingent with South Africa fielding the most players, including Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith.

Pitted against this awesome array of talent will be the Australians, one of the greatest cricket teams ever, and on the global stage, one of the most dominant sports teams in modern times. With Glenn MacGrath, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie leading their bowling attack, and Matthew Hayden, Skipper Ricky Ponting and wicket keeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist at the forefront of their batting, they will be very hard to beat particularly on home soil with a ferociously partisan local crowd behind them. Only the very best can take them on and win, and the ICC Johnnie Walker Super Series will be their ultimate challenge.

Commenting on the confirmation of Emirates' Partnership deal with ICC Johnnie Walker Super Series Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: "We are delighted to have signed up as an official partner of what promises to be one of the most exciting sporting events of the year.

We have demonstrated our support for top-class cricket for over three years now, through our relationship with the ICC, and we are excited to have taken this a step further with the Super Series. Welcoming the announcement, ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said that Emirates' was a long term and valued partner to world cricket: "Emirates Airline has established an excellent relationship with the ICC and its member countries in recent years and it is very pleasing to see that relationship strengthened further by this involvement with the Johnnie Walker Super Series.

"Australia is a long-haul destination for most of the players and officials involved in the event and I know that the quality and comfort provided by Emirates international service will be much appreciated in that respect " said Mr. Speed.

Emirates has an extensive portfolio of top-class sports sponsorships around the world, from the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the new home of Arsenal FC, Emirates Stadium, to helping lead the challenge for the 2007 America's Cup with Emirates Team New Zealand, and a whole host of other sports including golf and horse racing.

Emirates has been a proud supporter of international cricket since 2002 when the Dubai-based airline signed its first sponsorship deal with the ICC, with Emirates branding on the ICC elite panel of umpires and referees seen by cricket fans around the world.

That deal has recently been extended for another three years, and, with the ICC having recently moved its Headquarters to Dubai, the synergies between the two are stronger than ever.