Nissan Picks Up The Bat With Surprise Cricket Appearance In Dubai

Nissan has taken a street cricket game by storm with an incredible, unexpected experience that the players will never forget. Cricket is extremely popular in the emirates and many amateur players stage matches in car parks and other public spaces but nobody expects one of the greatest bowlers of all time, Wasim Akram, to drop in on them unannounced and join in their game.

Arriving in a Nissan Altima, the former Pakistani cricketer gave the street players the surprise of their lives by joining in their match, with a ‘pop-up pitch’ being set up within just a few minutes of their impromptu arrival. 

“This is the kind of exciting thing we do at Nissan, we engage with people on a personal level and help put smiles on their faces” says Samir Cherfan, Nissan Middle East’s Managing Director. “Cricket is extremely popular across all levels of society and the love and devotion that people show for it perfectly reflects what we as global carmaker put into every aspect of our business. That’s why we became a global partner of the International Cricket Council

“By taking a keen interest in what people do for their own enjoyment, in their spare time, we can impact on lives in the most positive way. As a company we promise ‘Innovation that Excites’ and this was a perfect opportunity for Nissan to do something out of the ordinary and create #MomentsThatCount.”

As well as setting up a pop-up cricket pitch, the Nissan team arrived in Patrol pick-ups loaded with world class equipment for the players: flags, stumps, helmets, gloves, sweater bands, kit bags, balls and, of course, the finest English Willow bats that were autographed by Wasim Akram. This equipment was given to the players as gifts, with the aim that it will be used for years to come. 

“Not only did these enthusiasts get to play their favourite game with one of the world’s best known professionals, and pick up a few pointers to help enhance their game,” adds Cherfan, “but they got to keep permanent mementoes of the occasion, which they will no doubt continue to put to the best possible use. Who knows, perhaps some of these players will be inspired to take their hobby to the next level.”

Nissan became a partner of cricket in October 2015 when it announced an eight-year deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a global sponsor of cricket’s international tournaments.

The tournaments include the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20, as well as ICC Under-19, ICC Women's and Qualifying events. The Japanese carmaker is bringing its innovative and fan-focused approach to sport to millions of cricket-lovers around the world. The ICC partnership is a significant expansion of Nissan's ongoing international sports sponsorships.

The activation by Nissan comes along with the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament which is scheduled to end on 3rd April 2016. The ICC World Twenty20 is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket, organized by cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC).