The sponsorship, which will run until 2021, is the longest sponsorship agreement secured in ECB’s history. With England currently ranked as the No.1 Test nation in the world, various reports have indicated that the value of the new deal surpasses the £4 million per year that was understood to have been paid by Npower. The new agreement will begin next summer when England takes on the West Indies and South Africa and the deal will cover three home Ashes Test series against Australia in 2013, 2015 and 2019 as well as major tours by India in 2014 and 2018, Pakistan in 2016 and South Africa in 2017.

Investec has maintained a significant presence in sport despite having ended its 12-year partnership with England’s Rugby Football Union in August. The financial services company penned a two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Barclays Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur last year, while it is also the title sponsor of the Epsom Derby, one of the most famous horse races in the UK. Investec, which earlier this year signed up as the principle partner of the England and Great Britain women’s hockey teams, is also the lead sponsor of the Super Rugby competition in New Zealand and the Tri Nations tournament between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

“This is excellent news for all supporters of Test cricket and a further boost for our five-day game following the England team’s recent achievement in becoming the world’s No.1 ranked Test side,” ECB chief executive David Collier said. “Investec are an established brand with extensive experience in the sports sponsorship field and we are delighted that they have made such a significant, long-term commitment to promoting Test cricket in this country. The extent of their investment reflects the fact that our five-day game continues to command very significant audiences – both at home where we achieved record attendances for international cricket in 2011 and abroad where the England team is gaining increased exposure in markets such as Asia, South Africa and Australia.”

Collier added: “The ECB has an excellent track record in developing and sustaining business partnerships across professional and recreational cricket and we look forward to working closely with everyone at Investec over the coming decade.” In January 2011, the ECB invited brands to enter a tender for the sponsorship rights to cover 2012-15 after Npower announced it would not renew its partnership, which spanned a decade through to this year. However, Investec’s sponsorship package, which will include ticketing, hospitality and access to England players, represents a much longer commitment than anticipated.

In announcing the deal, Investec global marketing director Raymond van Niekerk hailed the attributes of Test cricket – a format of the game that is considered by many to be under threat from the Twenty20 form of the game. “The five-day game requires intelligence, teamwork, adaptability and a strong competitive spirit; attributes that are closely aligned to Investec’s business values,” he said. “We are excited to begin our sponsorship with England as the world No.1 team in the Test rankings, following their impressive defeat of India in the summer. Investec has an established track record of enhancing the sports events it is associated with and we look forward to working with the ECB over the coming years.”