Emirates Airline has launched a celebration of cricket with fans the world over, as the national teams from 14 countries commence their journey to compete for the glory and the title of world champions at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

As the Official Worldwide Partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Emirates is a sponsor of both the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and the event’s match officials selected from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, the Emirates International Panel of Umpires and the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

The Tournament will run until 29th March 2015, with teams from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, West Indies and Zimbabwe competing to be crowned world champions.

“We’re proud to be the official airline for cricket through our long standing partnership with the ICC and the many other partnerships we have with cricket globally – from major competitions to local grass roots clubs,” said Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand. “Emirates serves customers in all of the 14 nations participating in this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup.

As the Tournament opens, many cricket fans have already had the opportunity to spot, and also experience flying one of the 10 Emirates A380 aircraft specially “dressed up” with the  ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 logo.

 At the opening weekend, hundreds of fans were also invited to step into the shoes of Emirates Elite Panels of Umpires and Referees, and experience making the tough calls first hand at Emirates’ Who Wants to be an Umpire? Testing Centre.  In total, there are 110 tough umpire calls that fans will be tested on at eight selected locations across Australia and New Zealand during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Emirates has been the Official Worldwide Partner of the International Cricket Council and its teams of match officials since 2002, and a sponsor of its major tournaments including the ICC Cricket World Cup since 1999. 

Emirates’ other cricket sponsorships include:  

Title Sponsor of the Emirates Airline Twenty20, which brings successful County Cricket  Clubs to Dubai to compete for the coveted Emirates T20 Championship.

In the UK, Emirates has partnerships with Durham County Cricket Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club, including naming rights to both clubs’ playing grounds and their respective T20 representative teams.

Emirates operates daily scheduled flights between Malta and Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus. From its international hub in Dubai, Emirates offers passengers from Malta very convenient connection times to destinations in Australia and New Zealand.