[Lahore: 06 December 2010] Castrol, the world’s leading lubricant company, proudly announced their association as the official performance partner of the ICC with a unique presence at all ICC cricket events for the next five years starting with the coveted ICC World Cup 2011.
To announce and celebrate this long term association, Castrol Pakistan hosted an evening with top sporting personalities including the legendary Wasim Akram, who unveiled the official ICC World Cup 2011 trophy at the event; Captain of the Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team Sana Mir with her teammates Sania Iqbal, Nida Rashid, Marina Iqbal and their fielding coach Abdul Majeed were also in attendance and were honoured on stage by master of ceremonies Saima Mohsin along with Wasim Akram and the audience, who gave the team a standing ovation. PCB’s Director of Cricket Operations Zakir Khan, Mrs. Bushra Aitzaz Ahsan Chairperson of Pakistan Women Cricket and Pakistan Veteran Cricket Association (PVCA) Chief Executive Officer Ashiq Hussain Qureshi were also present at the event. The evening also included live entertainment by Ali Azmat with his band featuring renowned musicians Gumby, Omran Shafique and Kamran ‘Mannu’ Zafar and world dance performances with classical, African, flamenco and contemporary ballet influences as choreographed by Juni featuring celebrated dance artiste Nighat Chaudhry. Managing Director of Castrol at BP Pakistan, Liaqat Ali Qadri also shared a few words at the occasion on the association between Castrol and the ICC.
Model Natasha Hussain and media personality Adnan Malik hosted the Castrol red carpet interviewing celebrities in attendance such as critically acclaimed designers Munib Nawaz and Ali Xeeshan. Also at the event were media and social and media personalities Saad Kureishi, Sarah Gandapur, RJ Sumrayah, Hasan Jamil Khan, television actress Fiza Ali. The event was organised by Shakeel Jaffer of RMC with Public Relations by Lotus.
Indeed Castrol’s commitment to cricket is a significant addition to the company’s current portfolio of sponsorships, which includes the recently concluded 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa™, the UEFA EURO 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil. Through this association, Castrol is poised to deliver unique insights and experiences for cricket lovers all over the world through its unique world player and team rankings for ODI and T20 formats based on a rolling 12-month performance of teams and players in the last quarter of 2010.
Commenting on the association the ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “This is fantastic news for our great sport. For us to attract a commercial partner of Castrol’s caliber is another indication of the excellent reputation and healthy state of international cricket. It reconfirms how top brands want to be associated with cricket and it’s great spirit. Even in these challenging times cricket’s popularity among spectators, broadcasters and sponsors is as strong as ever”.
On this occasion, Castrol Pakistan’s Marketing Head Hasan Zobairi said: “85% of Pakistan’s motorists and bikers are keen followers of Cricket. This five year sponsorship offers us an opportunity to celebrate Pakistan’s biggest passion and use this as a platform to introduce leading edge lubricants technology to the Pakistani consumers.”
Speaking after unveiling the World Cup 2011 trophy, Wasim Akram has said: “The Castrol Performance Index is an exciting measure of cricket performances, especially for ODIs and T20s as it focuses on absolute performances which all the fans and youngsters can follow on their official website.” Regional Vice President, Asia & Pacific Region – Naveen Kshatriya has said: “Cricket is a sport that is passionately followed across many parts of the world. While no other game touches the hearts and minds in the Asian sub-continent as cricket does, the game is also very popular in many other important Castrol markets like Australasia, South Africa and the UK”.
