ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

INTERNATIONAL FAST food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken will sponsor the West Indies team currently in India for the International Cricket Council's Champions Trophy, the West Indies Cricket Board announced yesterday.

"KFC is delighted to be associated with the West Indies cricket team at this time. One of the main drivers of our success in the Caribbean region results from our active participation and investment in the communities where we operate our brands," Ben Butler, KFC's general manager for the Caribbean and Central and Latin America, said.

"We invest in many social and educational programmes at the level of the franchisee in several countries. We know that the people of the Caribbean region have a passion for the Colonel's Original Recipe Chicken and for cricket," he said.

"Our sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team was an easy decision to make. It is our way of giving back to the people of the Caribbean and communities who support our brands."

KFC currently sponsors the WICB's regional limited overs competition and WICB's commercial manager, Paul Skinner said the sponsorship of the Champions Trophy team was a deepening of that relationship.

"KFC is deeply involved in West Indies cricket as the sponsor of our regional One-Day tournament, the KFC Cup," Skinner said.