Pepsi-Cola maybe the official sponsor of cricket both in India and Pakistan, but Coca-Cola too has come looking for a sizeable slice of the pie in a game that is bigger than anything in the sub-continent. Only recently one saw cricket-based advertisements targeting the Indian market with Sachin Tendulkar acting as Coke’s brand ambassador. Now this side of the border, in what looks like an extension of the not-so-subtle ‘Cola Wars’, Coke has pitched its tent firmly on the cricket ground in Pakistan as well through its brand Sprite by launching Cricket Next and roping in Shoaib Akhtar and Moin Khan to provide it star attraction.
For all intents and purposes, this is Coca-Cola’s returning its rival the ‘Nothing official about it’ compliment of the World Cup 1996 that not just mocked at its ‘Coke’s official drink’ status but also stole the thunder of its own campaign.
That must have left deep scars, for subsequently Pepsico seized the ‘official sponsor’ status, denying Coca-Cola a look-in into what is every marketing man’s dream in Pakistan and India: latching on to the cricket bandwagon.
Rizwan U. Khan, Coca-Cola Pakistan’s General Manager had a spring in his step as he made an extempore statement of intent: “Make a positive difference to cricket in Pakistan by taking a fresh, dynamic and sustainable approach to the sport by promoting and encouraging Pakistan’s potentially undiscovered cricketing heroes.”
It was a high-octane launch, and with streetlights and with vendors’ stalls offering streetside-stuff was congruous with street cricket.
The idea is fabulous, for it is simple, involves no hefty sponsorship fees, and goes directly to the streets and people by latching on to street cricket – with a promise to its cricket crazy participants: national spotlight.
Played with unrivalled passion, ‘Gulli Cricket’ has its own joy and charm, and a very rich folklore in that most of our frontline cricketers since the 1980s learnt their craft here before graduating to more organized forms under official patronage. The event touches base with the largest pool of cricketers at their closest: their own street.
The sweep of the event is impressive: 700 streets in seven cities spread over six months. With the two squads that emerge from this extensive exercise shall be coached by Akhtar and Moin, the former tagged as Josheela and the latter as Hoshyaar, and the teams branded as Josh andHosh for a series of contests.
The programme’s reach has been given further extension by bringing into play an interactive website and use of the social media. And aspiring cricketers who miss out direct participation in the campaign could still be part of the action through “capturing and uploading their street cricketing moments of Josh and Hosh via the interactive website”. The campaign, it was said, has already kicked off on the ground starting in Lahore on June 19, 2012.
Always ready with a smart quip, Shoaib Akhtar, recounting his own youth and association with gully cricket, spoke an evocative line that would touch a chord with many. “Through this programme, in a way I’d be meeting with myself again”, said he, with disarming spontaneity
Akhtar and Moin both sounded passionate about the event, without sounding fake like most on such occasions do. Perhaps it was because both had emerged from street cricket and could relate to it. “In my view cricket played in the streets is Josheela cricket. Here you need instinct, speed, quick thinking, a big heart – above all the passion of youth to prevail. This event has created a phenomenon, right at the grassroots. The event has my backing from the word go because in my opinion only Josheela cricketers can change cricket countrywide [taking it to a higher plane]”, said Akhtar.
Moin was not to be outdone. “The event has created a platform for cricket lovers all around Pakistan. The passion is good but our players already have it aplenty. What our youth could do more with is cricketing nous, the Hoshyaari, to strike it big,” said he.
Combining the natural effervescence of street cricket with the comfort that corporate support invariably obtains, if between the Josheela and the Hoshyaar, the two of them could find a gem or two it would be worth everyone’s while and effort.
