India’s ICC brand ambassador Harbhajan Singh has arrived in England

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had named eight famous international cricketers as the Champion Ambassadors for the Champions Trophy that will be held in England and Wales from June 1-18. Shahid Afridi of Pakistan, Bangladesh’s Habibul Bashar, Ian Bell of England, Shane Bond of New Zealand, Australia’s Mike Hussey.

From India the pick is Harbhajan Singh, Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Graeme Smith of South Africa were honoured as ambassadors. All the names picked are stalwarts of the game and have represented their teams for years at the highest level. Among them, only Harbhajan and Bell are currently active players while others retired from the game after serving their respective teams.

Harbhajan is proud of the designation given to him 

Bhajji who was with the Indian team that shared the 2002 trophy with Sri Lanka said: “To be appointed as an Ambassador for a global event in which India will be the defending champion is one of the highs for me as a cricketer and something to be really proud of.”

Harbhajan further added that he is confident Team India will perform well, especially on the back of the support that they get from fans.

“I am confident that team India will achieve greater heights and am sure that millions of fans back home will be following the side’s fortunes,” he added.

The brand ambassadors will also be a part of the ICC editorial team 

The eight cricketers will be involved in the ICC Champions Trophy Tour and will also partake in the Cricket for Good coaching clinics – a program aiming to provide school children an opportunity to play with legends. They will also be a part of the ICC editorial team.

Between them, the eight have featured in 1,774 One-Day Internationals, scoring 51,906 runs with 48 centuries, and taking 838 wickets.

Team India will play their first match against Pakistan on June 4, after which they will meet Sri Lanka on June 8 and South Africa on June 11. India beat both New Zealand and Bangladesh comprehensively to enter the tournament with confidence.