HOWZAT! BRISBANE TO HOST WORLD"S FIRST CRICKET MATCH INSIDE AN AIRPORT TERMINAL

Prepare to be bowled over at Brisbane Airport (BNE) as the airport hosts the first ever cricket match inside an airport terminal.

The match, planned for November 22, will feature former Australian cricket players Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz and be streamed live on the former's own Facebook page to a global audience.

The two will captain teams consisting of senior representatives from the India and Australia travel industries, in a twenty-over indoor exhibition style cricket match as part of Tourism Events Queensland’s 'Queensland on Stage India' event for 2018.

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Coinciding with the start of the Indian cricket team’s tour of Australia, the match will be held in the middle of BNE’s busy International Terminal for the enjoyment of departing passengers and the Indian media.



Gert-Jan de Graaff, CEO of BNE operator, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), explained that the match provides a unique opportunity to strengthen and celebrate tourism between the two nations.

He said: “India and Australia share a love of family, travel and cricket, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to celebrate these shared values with a bit of fun, whilst also showcasing Brisbane as an aspirational travel destination offering a wide range of experiences for Indian visitors.

“India is one of the world’s fastest growing outbound travel markets with more than 300,000 Indians visiting Australia last year and more than 33,000 of those visiting Brisbane, which was a 36% increase on the previous year.

“India is also Australia’s third largest trading partner, with total merchandise exports trade more than USD 9 billion. This means Queensland has around 60% share of Australia’s total trade with India, including 13% share of Indian students in Australia.

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“Being able to showcase Brisbane Airport as the gateway to Queensland and Australia will allow existing and new airline partners to reinforce the importance of this growing market. With rising travel demand, and our business and trade relationship showing further growth, BAC is very interested in strengthening connections with the India market."

Former Australian fast pacer Brett Lee, who shares a special relationship with India and its people, believes stronger connections would provide benefits to both nations.

“India has always been a special place for me. I love the colour, the culture and most of all, the people. Indian travellers love Australia, and there’s a huge opportunity to showcase all the new tourism developments happening in Brisbane to the India market, because the city is transforming so quickly.

"I think Indians should see it for themselves that there’s just so much happening here."

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Australia - India Council Board member and non-executive board director of Cricket Australia, Michael Kasprowicz, said he is looking forward to competing against Brett and showcasing the city of Brisbane to the India market.

“Having spent plenty of time in India, I know how much Indian travellers want to come to Australia for a holiday. Brisbane is a city that is quickly developing into a major tourism destination, and I’m excited to be a part of the effort to showcase all these new developments to the India market,” noted Kasprowicz.

The exhibition cricket match, the first of its kind, is expected to generate strong interest from Indian media, coinciding with the commencement of India’s cricket tour of Australia, kicking off with a T20 match at The Gabba on November 21.

The event can be viewed live via Brett Lee’s Facebook page which will carry a live stream of the game, commencing at 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), 12pm GMT time (New Delhi).