England cricket team signs deal with Boss fragrances

LONDON - Even if the English cricket team fail to successfully defend the Ashes later this year, they will still be winning in the grooming stakes after signing a deal with Boss fragrance and skincare.

The deal sees Boss, a spin-off of the Hugo Boss clothing label, become the official partner of the English Cricket Board.

Boss will be mentioned in cricket advertising promotions and feature players such as the captain Andrew Strauss, Andrew Flintoff, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen.

The sponsorship begins now and will run through the Ashes, which are held in Australia starting in November. It will continue into the Cricket World Cup and beyond.

Cricket is enjoying a higher profile in this country following England's Ashes win last year. This looks set to continue after the controversy of this weekend's test at The Oval, where accusations of ball-tampering ended up with Pakistan forfeiting the match after refusing to take to the field for the final session.

Umpires are meeting to consider if there should be further charges against Pakistan and the International Cricket Council is expected to make a new statement later today, the BBC is reporting.

Boss, which is part of Procter & Gamble's prestige products division, is banking on the reputation of cricket as a gentleman's sport.

Chris Chinaloy, brand manager for Boss, said: "After the success of the Ashes we looked at the England team's personalities and they really fit those of the brand. They're young, successful, dynamic and stylish but most of all they've got so much charisma."

He also said that with the number of women attending cricket games now, it sees potential for cricket to become a stylish sport.

Boss includes a number of fragrances and last year it added a skincare range, Boss Skin.

Strauss said: "It is flattering that the England cricket team are seen as a natural fit with such an iconic brand in the world of male grooming."

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