New Delhi: With 100 days to go before ICC Champions Trophy 2017 begins, which will be played in England and Wales from the June 1st to the 18th, the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Nissan Trophy Tour was launched at the ICC Academy in Dubai's Sport City.
The event brought together local school teams, cricket fans, Academy coaches, ICC staff, Nissan employees and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
As global partner and official car of the ICC, Nissan will be transporting the ICC Champions Trophy in official vehicles on the ground in major cities as well as taking the trophy on some more unusual journeys to surprise and delight cricket fans. Nissan has also collaborated with the ICC to create a series of events that will bring fans together with the trophy and enable them to share their excitement and anticipation for the tournament.
ICC chief executive David Richardson said: "The global trophy tour is the start of what will be a fantastic summer of cricket celebration in the UK with two major back-to-back events - the ICC Champions Trophy followed by the ICC Women's World Cup."
Roel de Vries, Nissan corporate vice president said, "We partnered with the ICC to bring cricket fans closer to the excitement of the game. We want the Nissan Trophy Tour to build excitement and anticipation on the journey towards the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in the UK in June."
Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi attended the launch event and added "I want to thank the ICC and its sponsors for their support of cricket. By taking the Champions Trophy on a global tour, they're enabling fans to connect with the event regardless of where they live and hopefully help us build a new generation of fans."
The trophy will visit all the competing nations in the next 100 days, heading to India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in March before flying to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in April. The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Nissan Trophy Tour will culminate in a series of events across host cities in England and Wales in May, before the opening game between England and Bangladesh at The Oval on 1st June.