Investec signal early end to England sponsorship deal

Investec are to end their sponsorship of England's Test side four years early after the ECB chose a rival financial services company to become their "principal partner".

Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, were five years into a 10-year deal with the ECB - dubbed, at the time, as "the longest sponsorship agreement secured in ECB's history" - when it was announced that rival banking firm NatWest would be taking over as the team's main sponsor from May 2017. As part of that deal, the players' shirts will carry the NatWest logo.

NatWest themselves had stepped into the role after the supermarket giant, Waitrose, announced last year that it would not be renewing its own three-year sponsorship of all levels of English cricket, a decision that came as a blow to the commercial team, and one that was partially attributed to the changes in the ECB hierarchy since the original deal had been struck in May 2013.

While Investec will continue to sponsor the side until the end of the 2017 season - meaning they will be in place for the home series against South Africa and West Indies, including the first day-night Test in England which is to be staged at Edgbaston in August - the ECB will need to find a new partner ahead of the 2018 season. They do have an attractive range of fixtures to offer, though, with the new deal containing a series against India, the primary tourists in 2018, and an Ashes series in 2019.

The Investec deal, which provides naming rights and branding at home Tests in England and Wales, is understood to be worth around £4million a year. It is understood there was a break clause in the contract which has allowed them to pull out without incurring any penalty.

While it is not unique to have rival brands within their array of sponsors - several of the ECB's two-dozen or so business partners offer alcoholic drinks, for example - the decision to sign two competitors as such high-profile sponsors does not reflect especially well on their commercial team. In particular, it doesn't suggest great loyalty towards a sponsor in the middle of a long-term deal.

But NatWest have themselves been involved as partners for the best part of four decades. And, until recently, there was little conflict between their sponsorship - which has traditionally been focussed on limited-overs cricket - and that of Investec, who have focused on the Test team. It may also be relevant that the Investec business has evolved in recent years to include more services that replicate those offered by NatWest.

Both Investec and the ECB would agree the deal has proved successful. An unusually proactive sponsor, Investec has made a much stronger impression upon the players and the media than most rivals and has, therefore, gained greater goodwill and probably column inches.

"Investec have been our official partner for Test match cricket since 2012," Sanjay Patel, Commercial Director of ECB, said. "They have worked hard to bring their distinctive personality to cricket and the relationships they've created in the game. In doing this, they've helped to promote Test cricket and to connect England's players to the public."