Emirates today revealed its ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 themed Emirates A380 livery in the build up to one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events this year.

Former India cricketer and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011 winner, Virender Sehwag, and Emirates sponsored Lancashire team players Saqib Mahmood and Tom Bailey helped to marshal the newly emblazoned aircraft out of the Emirates Engineering hangar.  The cricket players were accompanied by Emirates Engineering staff who had worked on installing the decal, and who were later treated to a game of mini-cricket by the aircraft. The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy also made its debut at Emirates Engineering earlier this morning, and excited employees got the chance to take photos with the iconic trophy.

Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand for Emirates Airline said: “We are proud to be the official airline for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. Today’s reveal takes us one step closer to bringing the tournament to life for the nations competing in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, and for cricket fans across the globe. Emirates directly serves customers in 9 nations participating in this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, and we look forward to sharing the excitement of this passionate sport with cricket fans and communities around the world, particularly those who will be feverishly following their national teams as they attempt to clinch cricket glory.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “I am delighted to be able to see the Emirates plane with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup livery making its debut today. It is a wonderful way to celebrate what I know is one of the most eagerly awaited sport events of the year and fitting that its first journey is to our hosts in England and Wales.”

The attention-grabbing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 decal covers a substantial area of 694sqm on the Emirates A380 fuselage and includes player silhouettes batting and bowling against a backdrop of vibrant shades of purple and pink. The decal was installed on A6-EOH, which is scheduled to fly today to London Heathrow in the UK, the host nation of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. Over the next few months, the aircraft is expected to fly to other UK points including Manchester and London Gatwick. Cricket fans and aviation enthusiasts alike can also look out for the aircraft landing and taking off in Johannesburg, Mumbai, as well as Emirates destinations served by the A380 in both Australia and New Zealand.

Emirates will also be flying most of the national teams to the event as they get ready to compete for the trophy and title of world champions of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. The tournament will run from 30 May to 14 July 2019, with teams competing from England, South Africa, Pakistan, India, West Indies, Afghanistan, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Emirates has been a Global Partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 2002, and is a sponsor of both the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, and the event’s match officials selected from the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, the Emirates ICC International Panel of Umpires and the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, which also sees Emirates featured on their official kit.  Emirates also supports other ICC events including the ICC Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

In the UK, Emirates is also the official sponsor of Durham County Cricket Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club, including naming rights to both clubs’ playing grounds and their respective T20 representative teams.