ANZ has signed on for three more years as a major sponsor and "official bank" of New Zealand cricket.
It continues an association the now defunct National Bank brand had with New Zealand cricket going back 15 years, and includes ongoing sponsorship of the Black Caps' domestic international matches.
“Our support spans from the grassroots to the elite levels of the game, providing equipment and funding for players, coaches, administrators, clubs, schools, families and fans. Over the past four years, the ANZ Grant Scheme has given out $400,000 in cricket-related community grants over to help players, teams, clubs and schools get the most out of the game and promote the development of New Zealand’s future cricketing talent," ANZ CEO David Hisco said in a statement.
ANZ has increasingly been a high profile sponsor of sport in recent years, especially since the curtain was brought down on its National Bank brand in 2012. It was a high profile sponsor of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and muscled in on rival ASB in 2012, which was then official bank of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, as "official insurance services provider of the New Zealand Olympic Team" and as an "official partner of the New Zealand Olympic team" during the London Olympic Games.
The bank is now also a sponsor of golfer Lydia Ko.
The National Bank's sponsorship of international cricket in New Zealand predated its 2003 acquisition by ANZ, dating back to when it was led by renowned cricket lover Sir John Anderson, who had a stint as chairman of New Zealand Cricket in 1995 and was for a time New Zealand's representative on the International Cricket Council board.
New Zealand will co-host the Cricket World Cup with Australia next year.
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