The International Cricket Council has confirmed that it is preparing to commence the sponsorship sales process to events scheduled to take place between the second half of 2007 and the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.
The period includes 18 ICC tournaments with two World Cups, in Asia (2011) and Australasia (2015), and a minimum of three Champions Trophy tournaments.
Also included are the first two ICC Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009), the latter taking place in the ICC's centenary year.
The ICC intends to enter negotiations with prospective sponsors with a view to concluding agreements during the first half of 2007.
Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said: "The ICC's Executive Board began this process in April of last year when it confirmed the venues for ICC events from the second half of 2007 to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
"With those events and a broadcasting agreement to cover them in place, we are now in a position to go to market to obtain the best possible partners for cricket.
"The sale of these sponsorships is of huge significance for cricket throughout the world at all levels as, like the broadcasting agreement already concluded, the revenue they generate will play a pivotal role in sustaining and growing the game.
"A great deal of thought has gone into creating the sponsorship packages on offer and we believe they are extremely comprehensive and will deliver year-round value for our partners.
"For the first time the ICC is able to offer one major event every year and the quality and variety of those events and the fact they span the globe mean they represent exceptional value for sponsors.
"Our sponsors will have an important role in promoting ICC events and programs, bringing the game to a wider audience and creating new opportunities and experiences for fans.
"With growing media convergence and evolution likely over the next eight years this sponsorship will engage fans via a variety of platforms, including television, internet, mobile, radio, print and at the venues themselves.
"Live telecasts will be supported by an integrated promotion plan for major events and for the sport. It all means that companies have never had a bigger and more prestigious opportunity in cricket," he added.
The ICC has already sold its broadcast rights for the period, with ESPN STAR Sports in December named as its Global Media and Production Partner in an agreement significantly in excess of the ICC's previous commercial deal.
That agreement with Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), which includes both broadcast and sponsorship components, began in 2000 and ends with the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies next March and April.
Mr Speed added: "This sponsorship platform will enable our partners to reach fans in places and in ways that were inconceivable in the past and to do so with a truly global footprint.
"With the support of the best possible and truly world-class broadcaster for cricket in the shape of ESPN STAR Sports, we believe this is the most comprehensive and powerful international cricket sponsorship opportunity in history.
"We look forward to taking discussions forward and to identifying the companies that will help support and secure the future of our great game," added Speed.
Further details and updates of the sales process will be announced in due course.
ICC Events 2007 2015
2007 World Cup: March/April - West Indies*
Twenty20 World Championship: September - South Africa
2008 U/19 World Cup: February - Malaysia
Champions Trophy: September - Pakistan
2009 Women's World Cup: March - Australia
ICC Trophy: April - UAE
Twenty20 World Championship: June - England
2010 U/19 World Cup: February - Kenya
Champions Trophy: March/April - West Indies
World Cricket League: TBC - The Netherlands
2011 World Cup: February/March - Bangladesh/India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka
2012 U-19 World Cup: July - Canada
* broadcast and sponsorship rights for this event owned by Global Cricket Corporation.
