Australian cricket team bowled over by emirates

Emirates-sponsored world champions, the Australian cricket team, and the Twenty20 International champions, India, flew on Emirates within hours of each other from South Africa via Dubai en-route to India.

The Australian team is heading to India to play nine one-day matches and will be seeking revenge against the Indian team which defeated them in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 International tournament over the weekend.

The India tour runs until 20th October, with the first game in Bangalore this Saturday, 29th September.

Adam Gilchrist, Vice Captain of the Australian team said: “We are really looking forward to our home and away series in India. They are the newly-crowned champions of the Twenty20 game, while we are the champions of the 50-overs game, and that is incentive enough for us to do our best. It will be the battle of the top two teams. We will be hosting them in Australia as well, and playing India is always exciting as you literally have a wide audience of over a billion people.”

Emirates became the Official Airline of the Australian cricket team prior to the first Ashes test in November 2006. The three-year partnership allows the Australian team to travel in unparalleled comfort and style when playing abroad, helping the team to maintain the success they have achieved on the world stage.

Emirates was the major sponsor of the Australian team during their World Cup wins in 1999 in the UK and 2007 in the Caribbean.

Adam continued: “Emirates is a lucky omen and it’s fantastic to form a second partnership with the airline. We are extremely happy to be associated with them. Their service out of Australia and their terrific schedules are perfect for a team like ours that travels the world.”

While the team members have visited the UAE before and played tournaments here, Gilchrist said he loves Dubai and always recommends the city to his friends to visit or as a stopover destination.

After India, the Australian team will return home for a long season of cricket which includes test matches and a one day series against Sri Lanka and India, and a short trip over the Tasman to New Zealand for three one-day games.

The partnership with Cricket Australia is a major addition to Emirates’ portfolio of high-profile sponsorships, and further strengthens the airline’s association with Australia and its international sporting passions.