Cricket Australia Ends 37-Year Era with Commonwealth Bank, Inks $40M Sponsorship Deal with Westpac

The partnership between Cricket Australia and Commonwealth Bank spanned a truly glorious period for the Australian national team. The bank’s logo was a familiar sight on the national team’s jersey for over three decades. Although Commonwealth Bank was reportedly eager to extend their most recent deal, CA ultimately decided to end the partnership and move towards a new direction.

CommBank first joined forces with CA during a landmark period when Allan Border captained the men’s team to its first-ever ODI World Cup victory in 1988. Over the years, as cricket evolved significantly, CommBank played a crucial role in supporting the game’s development.

Until 2015, CommBank also sponsored multiple editions of Australia’s home tri-series. During the tenure of CommBank’s sponsorship, Australia achieved immense success, including winning five ODI World Cups up until 2023.

The newly partnered Westpac, a direct competitor of CommBank, has signed a four-year deal with CA. Under the new agreement, Westpac’s logo will be prominently featured on the front of the jerseys for the Australian Men’s, Women’s, under-19, and ‘A’ teams.

The new jersey design has already made its debut in a social media photo, showcasing Australian Men’s cricketers Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon , and Sam Konstas alongside women’s cricketers Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner.

Westpac’s deal also establishes them as a presenting partner for several key projects, including the National Community Awards, National Indigenous Cricket Championships, and others. This alliance will also focus on creating support structures and providing new opportunities to increase women’s involvement in cricket. This includes offering benefits to local clubs for girls and female coaches and promoting inclusiveness by funding initiatives for Indigenous and disabled players.

In addition to its partnership with Cricket Australia in the national cricket sphere, Westpac will also become the official partner for both the men’s and women’s Big Bash League. As CommBank exits, a new era for Australian cricket is set to begin.

Cricket Australia Announces Squad for South Africa Series with Key Players Returning

Following their dominant display against the West Indies, Australia is now preparing to host South Africa for a white-ball series. The squad has been announced for the upcoming series, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is, and is scheduled to begin on August 10.

Several key players are making a return to the two 14-member squads for the series. Mitchell Marsh will return as captain for both the ODI and T20I teams, with Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood being the notable players returning to the side. Matthew Short is also back in the fold, while the in-form all-rounder Mitchell Owen and spinner Matthew Kuhnemann are poised to make their ODI debuts for Australia.

Meanwhile, Pat Cummins , Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc will remain sidelined. Among the players who were part of the recent T20I series in the Caribbean but have been omitted to face South Africa are Sean Abbott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tanveer Sangha, Cooper Connolly, and Aaron Hardie.