When Sehwag played cricket with Emirates staff

Dubai, March 24 - Emirates revealed its ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 themed Emirates A380 livery in the build-up to one of the world's most anticipated sporting events this year.

Former India cricketer and ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2011 winner Virender Sehwag and Emirates-sponsored Lancashire team players Saqib Mahmood and Tom Bailey helped to marshal the newly emblazoned aircraft out of the Emirates Engineering hangar here.

The cricket players were accompanied by Emirates Engineering staff who had worked on installing the decal, and who were later treated to a game of mini-cricket by the aircraft, reports Khaleej Times.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup trophy also made its debut at Emirates Engineering, and excited employees got the chance to take photos with the iconic trophy.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 decal covers a substantial area of 694 sq meters on the Emirates A380 fuselage and includes player silhouettes batting and bowling against a backdrop of vibrant shades of purple and pink, the Times said.

Emirates will also be flying most of the national teams to the event as they get ready to compete for the trophy and title of world champions of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. 

The tournament will run from May 30 to July 14, with teams competing from England, South Africa, Pakistan, India, West Indies, Afghanistan, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, the report said.

IANS