The focus of the cricketing world has shifted to the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup 2024 as 20 teams compete against each other in order to claim the biggest prize in the shortest format of the game. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named four former athletes as the brand ambassadors of the mega tournament which is set to be held in the United States and West Indies from June 2. The first one on the list was the legendary Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, after him, they added Chris Gayle to this list followed by Yuvraj Singh and Shahid Afridi respectively. Bolt is the only non-cricketing athlete in this group of iconic sportspersons and all of them have one common goal of promoting the biggest cricketing event of this year.
What's the role of T20 World Cup 2024 brand ambassadors?
As ambassadors, they will play a key role in promoting the event. These four stars will also attend T20 World Cup matches and will be part of fan engagement events promoting the sport. All four of them have a global appeal that transcends the boundaries of their sports and which makes them the perfect faces for this role.
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T20 World Cup 2024 brand ambassadors
Usain Bolt: Usain Bolt, considered the fastest athlete on earth, was the first person chosen by the ICC as the ambassador of this World Cup. 37-year-old Bolt, a resident of Jamaica, has a record eight Olympic golds in his name. Cricket is a sport which is very close to the legendary sprinter.
Chris Gayle: West Indies' legendary batter Chris Gayle, who has scored the most runs in T20 history, has won the T20 World Cup for West Indies in 2012 and 2016. He played 79 T20 matches for West Indies in which he scored 1899 runs with the help of 2 centuries and 14 half-centuries at a strike rate of 137.50. He also took 20 wickets at an economy of 6.92. He was also the first batter to hit a T20I century.
Yuvraj Singh: India's former iconic all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was a part of the Indian team that won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. In that edition, he created history by hitting six consecutive sixes in one over against England's Stuart Broad. After becoming the ambassador of this edition, Yuvi also remembered those six sixes. Yuvraj has played 58 T20 matches for India. In which he scored 1177 runs at a strike rate of 136.38 with the help of 8 half-centuries. He has also taken 28 wickets with an economy of 7.07. He announced his retirement from International cricket back in 2019.
Shahid Afridi: Pakistan's veteran player Shahid Afridi was a part of the Pakistan team that won the 2009 T20 World Cup. He was the player of the tournament in the first edition of the T20 World Cup. Afridi played 99 T20I matches for Pakistan, in which he scored 1416 runs with 4 half-centuries at a strike rate of 150. He has also taken 98 wickets at an economy of 6.63. Afridi retired from international cricket in 2017.
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