KARACHI : Emirates Airlines has announced a sponsorship deal for domestic cricket in Pakistan in alliance with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it was announced here on Thursday.“The airline – an ICC Official Partner – has a long history of supporting cricket both at global and grassroots level – and is set to strengthen its commitment to the sport by sponsoring a number of tournaments, including the National T20 Cup 2011, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2011-12, Pentangular Cricket Cup 2011-12, One-Day Cricket Cup 2011-12 and Super 8 T20 Cricket Cup 2012, it said in a statement.“The sponsorship marks Emirates most significant foray into mainstream sports in Pakistan and will include development opportunities for talented youngsters.“Although we are proud of our involvement in cricket around the world, with prestigious partnerships such as the ICC which gives the airline sponsorship rights to all its major tournaments, including the ICC Cricket World Cup – contributing to the growth of the sports at a grassroots level is particularly satisfying for us,“ said Badr Abbas, Vice President Pakistan & Afghanistan.“To be associated with a sports which the people of Pakistan follow with great passion allows us to create closer ties with them and demonstrates our on-going support for the growth of cricket. Domestic cricket has produced many world-class players and we hope that through this sponsorship, Emirates will play a role in the continued success of the sports,” he said.
