The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, had a stopover in New York City, at the 40/40 Club, on September 5th, where the glittering trophy was unveiled for a select audience. The hosts of the evening, Willow TV, presented two of the biggest cricketing super stars of the yesteryears, Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd, as special guests.
“There is plenty that goes into the making of the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy. For most of the stakeholders of the game, the one feature that stands out is, naturally, its design,” the organizers said. “The trophy requires a lot – can’t stress this enough – of planning,” added Steven Ottewill, the Trophy Director, and Zoe Clarke, its Design Manager.
“To be involved with the Cricket World Cup, to help bring the piece to fruition, is a real privilege for a manufacturer, a British manufacturer as well,” says Ottewill. “The piece weighs about 11 kilos. Its height is 650mm tall. The base is a hardwood base – with any concept trophy, we have to render, draw to scale. We either draw freehand or pen work. That’s the starting point.”
It’s not just a matter of drawing it out. There are a lot of calculations behind it. “It’s a lot of responsibility,” says Clarke. “You need to be artistic, and try to produce a nice, organic looking design. But then you need to also have the math behind to work out how it’s being made, and to the drawings.”
The founder and CEO of Willow TV, Vijay Srinivasan, during the course of an interactive panel discussion, outlined the channel’s ambitious plans for coverage of the next year’s World Cup in England, which is expected to penetrate as high as three million households in the US, bygoi g linear on all available TV platforms, apart from digital and hand-held devices. “We expect to reach at least two million homes, and as much as three million,” said Srinivasan, adding that all games of the next year’s World Cup, including the warmup games, would be telecast live on Willow TV.
The road trip to showcase the trophy started its journey from the International Cricket Council headquarters in Dubai on August 27. Travelling across five continents, 21 countries and over 60 cities, the “most connected Trophy Tour ever” will allow fans around the world to get up close to the coveted prize that will be lifted at Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 14, 2019, stated the ICC.
During the 9-month journey, the Trophy Tour will travel not only to countries taking part in the tournament, but for the first time ever will go beyond traditional cricket heartlands and connect with fans in a further 11 countries where cricket is growing, including Nepal and Germany.
Willow TV founder and CEO Vijay Srinivasan speaking at the meet, in New York City.
Asked if he has any coaching aspirations in the IPL, after he was not able to play in the tournament, in the past, he said: “It all depends. It’s a franchise. It’s not something that I’m going to beat myself over. I have survived so many years. The IPL is something I appreciate. There are a lot of able coaches in all the franchises. I personally feel I have to shop my skills before I even consider it. Because if I do consider it, I do want to make sure that if I come in, I’ll make a difference.” Lara predicted India and England to be top contenders for next year’s World Cup. “I like what India brings to the table,” he said.
