Hampshire was accused of taking part in a “sports car wash” ahead of his participation in this month’s Global Super League in Guyana, a T20 tournament sponsored by oil giant ExxonMobil.
Hampshire’s participation in the GSL comes despite its site’s public commitment to playing a leading global role in environmental sustainability. The Utilita Bowl celebrated the switching on of more than 1,000 solar panels ahead of a T20 between England and Australia in September. David Mann, Managing Director of the Utilita Bowl, took the opportunity to underline “our commitment to being the greenest international cricket venue”.
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The new five-team GSL tournament runs from November 26 to December 6 and, alongside Australian team Victoria, includes franchises Guyana Amazon Warriors, Lahore Qalandars and Rangpur Riders.
ExxonMobil Guyana is its title sponsor, with the tournament website stating that the event “has the full support of the Government of Guyana…the Government views the GSL as a key driver of tourism and economic growth”. ExxonMobil discovered oil in the country in 2015 and this month celebrated 500 million barrels of production from the Stabroek block.
Etienne Stott, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist who now campaigns for Extinction Rebellion, told the Guardian: “I’m really sad and angry that another sport is being corrupted by oil money from the fuel industry fossils. »
Stott said it was “perverse” for ExxonMobil to sponsor “a so-called global cricket tournament in a country very threatened by the effects of global warming.”
“I can’t understand why Hampshire [County] The Cricket Club would risk damaging its reputation by associating itself with such an obvious sports washing vehicle, especially given its public commitments to a more sustainable approach,” Stott said. “I hope cricket fans demand that this tournament ditch its dirty sponsor.”
Hampshire declined to comment.
Joe Cooke, environmental campaigner and former professional cricketer from Glamorgan, said: “It is disheartening to see cricket being sponsored and influenced by companies with such a direct link to the climate crisis. As a sport, we are profoundly at the mercy of the environment with extreme weather events made more likely by climate change impacting the game at every level. Cricket could be in a unique position to set a positive example by distancing itself from these types of partnerships.
ExxonMobil also sponsors the Amazon Warriors, who play in the Caribbean Premier League, and its involvement in cricket highlights the important relationship between fossil fuel companies and the sport. In May, the International Cricket Council announced a four-year extension of its partnership with Aramco, the Saudi oil company.
Chris Britt-Searle of The Next Test, a group aiming to raise awareness of the impact of the climate crisis on cricket, said: “It is very easy to condemn teams, countries and individual competitions. But the truth is that all of cricket is flush with fossil fuel money.
Britt-Searle added that the tournament could be an “opportunity” for cricketers to discuss the involvement of fossil fuels in cricket, highlighting the recent letter signed by more than 100 professional women’s footballers urging Fifa to end its partnership with Aramco.
“I would say to all cricketers, all cricket fans, clubs, cricket organizations, you have an opportunity to talk about this,” Britt-Searle said. “There’s a great opportunity here to raise our hands and say, ‘Look, we don’t agree with this.'”