Test cricket and County Championship get new sponsor

ENGLAND have announced a longterm partnership with LV= General Insurance, which will become the title sponsor of domestic Test cricket and the County Championship for the next three years, writes PA Sport.

The new deal, which includes the insurance firm lending its name to the 2023 Ashes, comes after Specsavers ended its sponsorship of England’s home Tests and the championship last April.

Last year’s Test assignments against the West Indies and Pakistan were titled the #raisethebat series to highlight key workers helping to support their communities during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the England and Wales Cricket Board has now united once again with a company that has had an association with the sport spanning almost 20 years, including three separate stints as title partner of the championship.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: “LV= has a long and proud history of supporting cricket and their return as a partner will benefit all levels of our game,”

“The strength of our partnerships are vital and in LV= I know we have a partner that shares our ambition to support the growth of cricket from grassroots to our England teams.

“We are excited about the prospect of a summer of cricket that will feature the return of the LV= Insurance County Championship as well as a highlyanticipated LV= Insurance Test Series against India.

“We know how much our fans are looking forward to a summer of cricket and we continue to work closely with government and plan for how we can safely welcome supporters back to our venues.”

The LV= Insurance County Championship will get under way on April 8 in a remodelled three-group format as agreed by the 18 firstclass counties to help mitigate against the possible impact of the Covid pandemic.

England Test captain, Joe Root, said: “LV= has been a strong ally of cricket for as long as I can remember and it is great to have them back as a partner.”

Heather Knight, captain of the England Women’s Test team, said: “It’s great to be able to welcome back LV= to the cricket family.”