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Babar Azam ends his long-standing partnership with Gray Nicholls and signs a new endorsement deal with CA Sports [Post Updated #199]

Titan24 said:
Umar Akmal used to have a GM as well for his initial few years in international cricket.
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Tbh, Kamran Akmal in 2009/11 really donned the GM bat he had really well (white ball cricket). Scored beautiful Runs in the T20wc and the 50 over Cricket World Cup as an opener.

I remember even after that abysmal Test series against England in 2010, he had a very good one day series against England. Him and Hafeez became quite a decent, reliable opening pair.
 
Rana said:
Tbh, Kamran Akmal in 2009/11 really donned the GM bat he had really well (white ball cricket). Scored beautiful Runs in the T20wc and the 50 over Cricket World Cup as an opener.

I remember even after that abysmal Test series against England in 2010, he had a very good one day series against England. Him and Hafeez became quite a decent, reliable opening pair.
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True. Kamran and Umer Akmal both were going pretty decently at that time.
 
The GM and Adidas sponsorships for the Akmals and Butt was all their agent, Mazher Majeed’s work who was ultimately behind the spot fixing episode. Wasteman.
 
Great to see Babar getting recognition from international brands. If he grows a player, it might encourage other international companies to invest in people from the Pakistan team.

The bat, I must say, looks very elegant.

One question, why are bats so expensive?
 
Kamran Akmal was Pakistan’s top scorer in all three formats in 2009. He had finally managed to get into the good books of Pakistani fans after the 2006 horror show in England.

2009-10 was also his best period as a wicket-keeper since 2004-05.

Then the Sydney Test happened and his world came crashing down. He never really recovered from that.
 
Titan24 said:
Umar Akmal used to have a GM as well for his initial few years in international cricket.
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And then people wonder why the likes of GM won't go anywhere near Pakistani players at the moment.

Fingers burnt.......
 
Saj said:
And then people wonder why the likes of GM won't go anywhere near Pakistani players at the moment.

Fingers burnt.......
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Hi Saj, what’s your thoughts on Pakistani cricket bats in general, and under the brand stickers how many of our players actually use them do you reckon?
 
Nado_ said:
Hi Saj, what’s your thoughts on Pakistani cricket bats in general, and under the brand stickers how many of our players actually use them do you reckon?
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Excellent bats.

Sialkot boasts some of the best sports equipment in the world.

I reckon most if not all the Pakistani players will be using Pakistani-made bats.
 
Good to see Elite cricketers like Babar and Rizwan with Gray Nicholls. Shadab being on there is a bit strange though. Since he has done nothing of note
 
GudduBadmash said:
Good to see Elite cricketers like Babar and Rizwan with Gray Nicholls. Shadab being on there is a bit strange though. Since he has done nothing of note
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Rizwan is not an elite cricketer but well done for him to secure a deal with GN.
 
I wonder what the return on investment is for these bat manufactures/cricket brands when they sponsor players?

Tyre companies like MRF, CEAT etc. are understandable because selling bats is not their primary source of income and it is more about advertising for them.

But Gray Nicolls is purely a cricket equipment manufacturer and they must be paying Babar a lot of money.

No one is going to buy original Gray Nicolas Babar edition in Pakistan, so I guess they along with the likes of GM, SS, Spartan sports etc. must be selling a lot of original stuff to amateur players which allows them to sponsor professional players and also stay profitable.

The replica business in cricket is a huge stumbling block when it comes to sponsorships.
 
The MRF genius Kohli edition is selling for 17,500 Indian rupees.

The vast majority of Indian amateur players are not going to spend that money on an original MRF bat when they can pick up a replica from the nearest sports shop for maybe less than 5,000 Indian rupees.

But for MRF this branding still makes sense and is profitable because it is the largest tyre company in India and one of the largest globally.
 
Mamoon said:
I wonder what the return on investment is for these bat manufactures/cricket brands when they sponsor players?

Tyre companies like MRF, CEAT etc. are understandable because selling bats is not their primary source of income and it is more about advertising for them.

But Gray Nicolls is purely a cricket equipment manufacturer and they must be paying Babar a lot of money.

No one is going to buy original Gray Nicolas Babar edition in Pakistan, so I guess they along with the likes of GM, SS, Spartan sports etc. must be selling a lot of original stuff to amateur players which allows them to sponsor professional players and also stay profitable.

The replica business in cricket is a huge stumbling block when it comes to sponsorships.
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I feel like a lot of aspiring cricketers from wealthy backgrounds or even die-hard Babar fans will get the bat.
 
KoyoAli said:
I feel like a lot of aspiring cricketers from wealthy backgrounds or even die-hard Babar fans will get the bat.
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In Pakistan, the vast majority of diehard fans don’t even play hard ball cricket to begin with, so they will be buying a tennis ball bat replica which sells for peanuts.

Club cricketers and FC players who don’t have sponsors will not be spending big money on a Gray Nicolls bat when they can buy a locally manufactured which will be equal in quality but much cheaper in terms of cost.

I would say that it would be quite an achievement if Gray Nicolls manages to sell even 100 original Babar edition bats in entire Pakistan.
 
Mamoon said:
In Pakistan, the vast majority of diehard fans don’t even play hard ball cricket to begin with, so they will be buying a tennis ball bat replica which sells for peanuts.

Club cricketers and FC players who don’t have sponsors will not be spending big money on a Gray Nicolls bat when they can buy a locally manufactured which will be equal in quality but much cheaper in terms of cost.

I would say that it would be quite an achievement if Gray Nicolls manages to sell even 100 original Babar edition bats in entire Pakistan.
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Well, I have known people in Lahore who would buy some really expensive bats including big name brands. Obviously, the majority wouldn't bother, but 100 bats is an achievable number, I feel.
 
The problem is that local bats in Pakistan and India are high quality, so there is hardly any incentive for the masses to buy expensive English or Australian branded bats.

On the other hand, golf is even far more niche than cricket, but golf equipment manufacturers do not have to compete with local brands because a lot of technology and R&D goes into its manufacturing and there is no real market for fake golf equipment.
 
Gets his maiden T20I century and becomes the #1 ODI batsman once he signs with Gray-Nicolls. Maybe we should be thanking them.

amir1.jpg
 
Saj said:
Also, it's just stickers.

The bats that these guys use are usually the ones they have been using all along, are familiar with and they just use the company's stickers.
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Yes. I used to play in a Sri Lankan Sunday League team and one of my team mates knew Sangakarra from school and went to meet him when SL toured. Sanga gave him a bat - it was a BDM IIRC adorned in Kookaburra stickers. Lovely bat.
 
Congratulations Gray Nichols

They are blessed to have this man representing their brand. Best technique in the world. Frequently being viewed on Sky Sports HD. GN sales will sky rocket this summer!
 
What is Babar's deal with GN worth?

I hope his agent had the foresight to maximize the $$$. Now that he is in the top tier he will get more visibility, which benefits GN.
 
At this rate Babar will be hot property in the bat manufacturers market.

Good chance of a healthy increase in his next contract and no doubt there will be interest from other manufacturers.
 
Saj said:
At this rate Babar will be hot property in the bat manufacturers market.

Good chance of a healthy increase in his next contract and no doubt there will be interest from other manufacturers.
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Almost impossible but just imagine if he gets a contract from MRF :yk2
 
Saj said:
At this rate Babar will be hot property in the bat manufacturers market.

Good chance of a healthy increase in his next contract and no doubt there will be interest from other manufacturers.
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What is his current contract worth?
 
ChTab said:
Almost impossible but just imagine if he gets a contract from MRF :yk2
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Very unlikely. But you never know!

MRF does have deep pockets and pay very well. Kohli for example, has an 8yr $13.7 million deal with them. Very likely will take him through to the end of his career.
 
Rana said:
MRF tyres will be burning in the streets of Mumbai if this ever happens
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MRF tyres currently get punctured on the lunar streets of Mumbai but jokes aside endorsements are indeed a big boost to players motivation
 
What is the reason that GN, Kookaburra, New Balance do not go for Indian players? None of the Indian players use them (except Shikar Dhawan).

Is it because of return on investment or them just being outbid?
 
U$ofA said:
What is the reason that GN, Kookaburra, New Balance do not go for Indian players? None of the Indian players use them (except Shikar Dhawan).

Is it because of return on investment or them just being outbid?
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They probably get outbid by these big Indian companies like CEAT and MRF. Indian players probably also prefer being sponsored by their local companies. I think we’ll see more non-sporting companies start to sponsor cricket bats in the future. Only a few of these big sport brands manufacture cricket bats anyway, they just stick their stickers on them. No reason as to why non-sport companies can’t do the same. A long term contract with a star player is a much better way to market your company than just sponsoring a one off series or tournament, for example.
 
Line and Length said:
They probably get outbid by these big Indian companies like CEAT and MRF. Indian players probably also prefer being sponsored by their local companies. I think we’ll see more non-sporting companies start to sponsor cricket bats in the future. Only a few of these big sport brands manufacture cricket bats anyway, they just stick their stickers on them. No reason as to why non-sport companies can’t do the same. A long term contract with a star player is a much better way to market your company than just sponsoring a one off series or tournament, for example.
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CEAT and MRF put together only sponsor four players. Rohit and Rahane for CEAT, Kohli and ABDV for MRF. All the other Indian players seem to use either SG or SS. So I have to assume that SG and SS are outbidding GN, Kookaburra and NB.
 
Not sure this type of picture is a great one for bat sponsors :D

Zim-3-696x456.jpg
 
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Green machines; vapour 1.3 set to be used by Babar and Rizwan (Source: Gray Nicolls’ social media)

15BC10FA-0194-4FC1-989A-C5A8A2229963.jpg3FA6A572-1A68-4C97-A7F0-C7AA66BE91AA.jpg
 
Asif Ali signed up by Puma.

Good things happen when you perform.
 
MenInG said:
Asif Ali signed up by Puma.

Good things happen when you perform.
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Especially when the whole world is watching

Simon Doul also said something along the lines of NZ not having an Asif Ali type player who can hit sixes at the back end. That is high praise from a good commentator, and NZ recently has been one of the sides that provides a template for modern limited overs cricket and cricketers.
 
2 year deal for Asif Ali with Puma Cricket.

They don't do cricket bats, but he'll be wearing their spikes etc. during this time.

Deal sorted by ICA.
 
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WOW. This is huge for Pakistan cricket and Asif Ali.

Bats or no bats, getting a brand like Puma involved with Pakistan can only do wonders for Pakistan.

Now its up to Asif to keep performing. He needs to show-off the brand for it to gain more eyes.
 
Rana said:
Especially when the whole world is watching

Simon Doul also said something along the lines of NZ not having an Asif Ali type player who can hit sixes at the back end. That is high praise from a good commentator, and NZ recently has been one of the sides that provides a template for modern limited overs cricket and cricketers.
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James Neesham is the player that can hit sixes at the back end, and he has also performed a lot more and is way better than Asif Ali...
 
Really hope this opens the door for a higher caliber sponsor for our national team kit. It would be awesome if we can move on from the likes of AJ m, boom boom etc.
 
How much Babar getting from GN? He should be making good money. Because it's all about advertisement.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a year it has been for this man. With his 87 today he passes 2,000 T20 runs for 2021 - the first time it has even been done.<a href="https://twitter.com/iMRizwanPak?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iMRizwanPak</a>, the man of the year. <a href="https://t.co/QJCNCxfBH4">pic.twitter.com/QJCNCxfBH4</a></p>— Gray-Nicolls (@graynics) <a href="https://twitter.com/graynics/status/1471524343066857473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Thanos said:
How much Babar getting from GN? He should be making good money. Because it's all about advertisement.
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For some reason all these bat deals seem to not made public. I think this goes for players in all countries. The only deal I can remember being public is Kohli's a few years ago.
 
Looks like Shan Masood has also got a deal with Gray Nicolls.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This new bat for Babar is looking insane 🤤 <a href="https://t.co/jPKvIFnH4x">pic.twitter.com/jPKvIFnH4x</a></p>— Gray-Nicolls (@graynics) <a href="https://twitter.com/graynics/status/1593353974165413890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Rana said:
Especially when the whole world is watching

Simon Doul also said something along the lines of NZ not having an Asif Ali type player who can hit sixes at the back end. That is high praise from a good commentator, and NZ recently has been one of the sides that provides a template for modern limited overs cricket and cricketers.
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Funny how 11 months later everything has come crashing down. Puma won’t resign him, he won’t even get on the New Zealand bench and his international career is pretty much done and dusted.

The 2021 World Cup purple patch was just a fluke, he was dreadful before and after the World Cup.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Major Announcement 🚨 <br><br>We are excited to announce that world-leading batter <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BabarAzam258</a> has signed a contract extension with Gray-Nicolls.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BetterIsEverything?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BetterIsEverything</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SayaCorps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SayaCorps</a> <a href="https://t.co/RS0fr9oWK0">pic.twitter.com/RS0fr9oWK0</a></p>— Gray-Nicolls (@graynics) <a href="https://twitter.com/graynics/status/1620452928741081088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
This is terrible news, it means Babar's reputation is going down, unless CA decided to pay him more money than what GN were paying. But still this is not good, wish Babar was being sponsored by a top brand rather than these stupid brands like CA, MB or Ihsan.
 
Now he will tarnish Inzimam’s CA legacy!

He should be sponsored by Brighto paints or Haier.
 
Rana said:
CA and MB bats are proper. What are you on about?
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They are good products, im talking in terms of branding and brand affiliation.

In terms of branding, MB and CA are no where near the level of GN or Adidas.

Its like how forward sports makes great footballs, but the branding of forward sports as a teritary brand doesnt exist, while the branding of Adidas exists. So a person being affiliated with forward sport and a person being affiliated with Adidas is a big difference in football.
 
Has there ever been a pakistani player sponsored by Nike or Kokuburra?
 
Rana said:
CA and MB bats are proper. What are you on about?
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Someone who hasn’t played the game.

The MB bat served me well during my bottom hand heavy days before I tightened my technique and manipulated the captain into believing I was a no.3 & bought a Newberry off a PPer no less, the bat use to be in the MyCricket section aha
 
shaz619 said:
Someone who hasn’t played the game.

The MB bat served me well during my bottom hand heavy days before I tightened my technique and manipulated the captain into believing I was a no.3 & bought a Newberry off a PPer no less, the bat use to be in the MyCricket section aha
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Someone who doesnt understand what branding is.

No where have i said its a bad product, its a bad brand.

There is a difference between branding and product.
 
Major said:
Someone who doesnt understand what branding is.

No where have i said its a bad product, its a bad brand.

There is a difference between branding and product.
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So you want to stick a well reputed brand on Babar Azam to mask what a crappy product he is; I am understanding you very well Major.
 
Am reading that the Gray Nichols contract stipulated he has to score atleast one century in a format during the year. He didn't score a single century in 2024 hence why they ended the sponsorship.
 
Major said:
Someone who doesnt understand what branding is.
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Your making no sense.

CA had Pollard and Jason Roy on their roster. Jason Roy even now as a washed up pro is still better than all of Pakistan batsmen in white ball cricket (maybe not Saim), and then there is the legend of T20 pollard.

So how is CA’s branding poor? The whole world knows the iconic CA 10000 because of Inzimam ul Haq, it was very popular bat in cricket circles.

CA best bats are not cheap, they are same price bracket as GM and Gray Nichols in UK
 
Savak said:
Am reading that the Gray Nichols contract stipulated he has to score atleast one century in a format during the year. He didn't score a single century in 2024 hence why they ended the sponsorship.
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I think he met their requirements of playing 60% of the deliveries in T20 regardless of runs and strike rate
 
shaz619 said:
So you want to stick a well reputed brand on Babar Azam to mask what a crappy product he is; I am understanding you very well Major.
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Sir what are you even saying?

Im talking about the branding of CA and GN here. Brand wise both are far apart.

Dont know why you have to be rude all the time man
 
shaz619 said:
Someone who hasn’t played the game.

The MB bat served me well during my bottom hand heavy days before I tightened my technique and manipulated the captain into believing I was a no.3 & bought a Newberry off a PPer no less, the bat use to be in the MyCricket section aha
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MB new willow is an absolute monster. I remember I was at this tournament where this old pro/chachu was delivered 3 recently arrived MB’s from Pakistan, just before the final. Uncle jee ne aag laga di! The ball pinged off his bat into the trees mate!
 
Rana said:
Your making no sense.

CA had Pollard and Jason Roy on their roster. Jason Roy even now as a washed up pro is still better than all of Pakistan batsmen in white ball cricket (maybe not Saim), and then there is the legend of T20 pollard.

So how is CA’s branding poor? The whole world knows the iconic CA 10000 because of Inzimam ul Haq, it was very popular bat in cricket circles.

CA best bats are not cheap, they are same price bracket as GM and Gray Nichols in UK
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CA pays more money thats why. No where have i said CA is makes bad cricket bats. Their cricket bats are great

I am talking about branding. In terms of branding CA is no where near GN.

Like i gave the Forward sports and Adidas example for footballs. When we talk about branding, CA doesn’t compare to Gray Nicolls or GM.

It’s like the example of Forward Sports and Adidas for footballs. Forward Sports makes excellent footballs, but Adidas is the brand that dominates the world because of its branding and marketing strategies.
 
Rana said:
MB new willow is an absolute monster. I remember I was at this tournament where this old pro/chachu was delivered 3 recently arrived MB’s from Pakistan, just before the final. Uncle jee ne aag laga di! The ball pinged off his bat into the trees mate!
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Sir im not disagreeing with you on the product. Where did i ever said MB, CA or even Ihsan are making bad bats?
 
Rana said:
MB new willow is an absolute monster. I remember I was at this tournament where this old pro/chachu was delivered 3 recently arrived MB’s from Pakistan, just before the final. Uncle jee ne aag laga di! The ball pinged off his bat into the trees mate!
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Anybody who goes Pakistan I ask for one lol MB bats are the best for sending the ball into space, always wanted the LaLa edition
 
Major said:
Sir what are you even saying?

Im talking about the branding of CA and GN here. Brand wise both are far apart.

Dont know why you have to be rude all the time man
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Come on man I’ve never been rude to yourself 🙈 Don’t get upset if I disagree with something, you’re a funny bloke 🤣
 
Major said:
I am talking about branding. In terms of branding CA is no where near GN.
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That’s subjective

GN recently has taken major hits to their brand with Babar, Rizwan and Shan Masood. Babar was supposed to be good but he’s been a flop. Rizwan is a joke of a batsman, but he does well for their keeping gear. Shan Masood lol, enough said.

Saud is a good signing and on par with the quality of players they sign from England/NZ/SA. Yousuf never let them down, the quality was on par with what you see from Root-Williamson.

Even with Babar on their roster, I never saw a massive inclination of Pakistani cricketers in UK and kids from Pakistani families to buy GN gear. It’s a good willow, not exactly a very very popular one the way you are making it out to be. Even the posh gorey at competitive first team level don’t go out of their way to buy one, unless they get it for free through sponsors. The market is always the rich parents of upper middle class kids.
 
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