More people play and watch cricket than any other sport except football. That being said, cricket often misses out when it comes to big marketing campaigns. However, that may all change if the likes of India’s Sachin Tendulkar and the Australian Shane Warne have anything to do with it. Both world-renowned cricketers, the pair are working to raise awareness of the game as a spectator sport as well as encourage marketers and brands to enter into sponsorship agreements. The project began back in 2015 and continues to gain support more than a year on.

One of the most successful aspects of the campaign to date has been the Cricket All-Stars Series 2015. This three-match tournament took place in Los Angeles, Houston and New York and featured retired cricket players from all over the world on two teams: “Warne’s Warriors” and “Sachin’s Blasters”. The exhibition event was sponsored by a variety of international brands, including Pepsi-Cola, Uber, State Farm, Citigroup and MasterCard. Although official figures are not available, thousands of fans were in attendance – according to Warne, over 100,000 people across the three events.

As noted above, cricket comes second only to football in terms of global popularity. However, although it is practically a national sport in countries such as the UK, India, the Caribbean and Australia, it has not traditionally been considered quite so popular in countries like the US. The good news is that it is gradually beginning to gain acceptance in more diverse locations, such as Latin America and Continental Europe. The overall long-term aim is to make the sport a more viable and worthwhile option for advertisers on a worldwide level, in the same way as football.

Twenty20 Cricket

Critics, however, have pointed out a few possible limitations, with one being the impatient nature of the typical American sports fan. Can they really remain focussed during a five-day-long traditional test match? Well, for those in doubt, the answer is a special abbreviated version called Twenty20 Cricket, or T20. This is a much shorter and more dramatic version of the game, devised in 2005 in a bid to attract new sponsors and fans.

So far the new type of game is proving extremely popular, particularly in the United States as was hoped. Furthermore, rather than having to build stadiums specifically for a cricket pitch, the new style of game is better suited to being played in areas such as baseball stadiums. These venues offer a number of benefits, including familiarity for the fans and a similar shape and size of playing area.

Fringe Benefits

Of course, the advantages of the project don’t simply stop at an increased awareness of cricket and more opportunities for people to attend matches. They also extend to a more localised interest, with clubs and teams being set up at grass-roots level for those who wish to be more than spectators. There is a whole range of cricket accessories which can be purchased online, so there is no excuse not to don a pair of cricket wicket keeping gloves and give it a go!