The Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced FanCraze and Crictos.com as new partners of the West Indies Test team and CWI.
The new deal includes the Crictos.com logo to appear on the West Indies men’s team’s playing shirts throughout the Apex Test Series against England, which already started on March 8, at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
CWI and FanCraze have agreed to a multi-year collaboration to create an NFT programme and metaverse products featuring West Indies players and archives.
Crictos was launched in 2021 as the digital collectibles programme partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The collaboration marks the beginning of the development of official digital collectibles for the West Indies teams, which will feature current players as well as key archive moments. Through innovative blockchain technology, West Indies fans all over the world will be able to own pieces of West Indies’ cricketing history, as well as more opportunities for digital trading cards, games, and experiences based on West Indies men’s and women’s players.
In addition to the Test shirt, FanCraze branding, links, and communication will appear on key pitch and broadcast assets for West Indies home internationals, as well as across CWI’s social and website fan platforms.
CWI’s Commercial Director, Dominic Warne, said, “We are excited to welcome FanCraze as a new partner for Cricket West Indies and the West Indies teams, especially with Fancraze’s Crictos NFT branding to appear on the West Indies Test shirt for the forthcoming Apex Series. This partnership goes far beyond the pitch and will see CWI and Fancraze combine to build archive and trading card NFT products using leading blockchain technology and take West Indies cricket into the fast-developing metaverse. Not only will the partnership create the chance for fans around the world to own famous pieces of our amazing West Indies cricket history, but it will also provide significant investment into cricket in the Caribbean and contribute to the players’ pool for years to come.”
Anshum Bhambri, CEO of FanCraze, commented, “We are very proud to partner with Cricket West Indies and bring to life NFTs representing the most passionate and naturally-gifted cricketers the world has ever seen. NFTs are fast becoming a movement and are enabling a direct relationship between all types of IP owners and their fans. NFTs represent culture and there is no better team than the West Indies to take cricket into the metaverse. FanCraze is building an experience that would enable fans to collect CWI digital assets, engage with play-to-earn games and utilities, and own digital land.”
The Apex Test Series is being played for the newly minted Richards-Botham trophy, which was unveiled on Sunday by the cricket legends, Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. The series began on March 8 and runs through March 12 in Antigua. The second Test will be held at Kensington Oval in Barbados from March 16 to 20, with the third Test taking place at Grenada National Stadium on March 24-28.