Adidas to sponsor Stuart Broad

Adidas has signed up the rising star of English cricket Stuart Broad as a brand ambassador.

The England and Nottinghamshire all-rounder has been tipped as the new Andrew Flintoff after finishing the 2009 Ashes as England’s leading wicket-taker, and being named man-of-the-series against the West Indies in the same year.

He will join fellow cricketers Kevin Petersen and Sachin Tendulkar, as well as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Lionel Messi, Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Murray in the Adidas stable.

The move signals Adidas’s intent to continue investing heavily in high-profile brand ambassadors who combine sporting ability with a wider appeal.

It also shows the increasing appeal of cricket to marketers following the commercial success of tournaments such as the Indian Premier League.

Nike has made moves to increase its share of the global cricket market by sponsoring a number of Indian and Australian cricketers as well as the Indian national team.

The deal means that Broad will be using the new Adidas cricket hardware range including the Libro bat, and wearing the Twenty 2 Yards Mid bowling boot for the 2010/11 season.

Nick Craggs, marketing director at Adidas, says: “Stuart is a very driven and dedicated athlete and we look forward to working with him on developing our cricket range.”