Digicel Inks 5-Year Sponsorship Deal

Jamaica-based telco provider Digicel has been confirmed as the new sponsor of West Indies cricket.

As first reported by CaribbeanCricket.com, Digicel swooped in at the last minute and secured a five-year deal with the WICB, beating out rival Cable & Wireless in the process. The Digicel deal is valued in excess of US$20 million.

The WICB said the deal will officially come into operation for the 2005 tour to Australia. Digicel will have an option to renew when the term of the deal expires.

Interestingly, the new deal calls for Digicel to become the official sponsor of the West Indies Test and ODI teams, which could lead to potential complications because Cable & Wireless has inked individual sponsorship deals with several big-name players, including captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Digicel also becomes Event Sponsors for the Home Test and ODI Series, and the official mobile and communications provider of the WICB.

It is the first ever home and away sponsorship secured by the WICB and it has been set up to introduce incentives to raise players' performances. The WICB said an additional US$1 million will be injected into the region through Digicel's sponsorship of select junior teams.

The board said Digicel will also be sponsoring the Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17 teams.