March 11, 2016

Everything's so commercial

Where there's a cricketer, can a product endorsement be far behind?

© Getty Images

Cricket's a game designed for television adverts. But what about print? This 1930s ad above, for the London & North Eastern Railway, promotes rail travel to Bridlington, north Yorkshire, where you can… play beach cricket and volleyball and golf and tennis, and ride ponies and build sandcastles. I suppose you could also bathe if you absolutely had to.

Deshakalyan Chowdhury / © AFP

Cool hair, Rahul, though not piratical - if that's what the parakeet on your shoulder is meant to indicate.

Torsten Blackwood / © AFP

Speaking of hair, here's an admission from Shane.

Adam Davy / © PA Photos

"Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And do you know what happiness is?" Yes, Mr Draper. It's beating Australia. Though back in 2002, this could be called false advertising.

© PA Photos

Ian Botham and footballer Kevin Keegan advertise kidney donor cards, 1980.

Rebecca Naden / © PA Photos

Sri Lanka must have thought themselves very clever here in Kandy, 2001: "It'll be like England are facing Murali from both ends. Buhahhaha!" Must have felt silly (and angry because of the terrible umpiring) when England went on to win by three wickets and Murali took only five wickets in the Test.

Nishi Narayanan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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