Australia’s famous sports gear manufacturing company Spartan has signed Nepali national cricket team vice captain and opener Gyanendra Malla for a two-year agreement.

According to the agreement, Malla will promote Spartan products for the next two years and will receive gears and cricket kits from the company.

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, former captain and current wicketkeeping batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, West Indies opener Chris Gayle and former Australian captain Michael Clarke have previously endorsed Spartan.

Prashant Kunwar, who has been promoting Nepali cricket from England, has arranged for the agreement between Malla and Spartan. Malla signed the agreement online, while the financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

“Spartan seems to have signed Malla for the contract because Nepal have been a rising country in world cricket. I don’t think any financial aspect is mentioned in the contract. For the time being, the association with the multinational company itself is a big thing for us,” Kunwar told the Post from London. Malla seconded Kunwar.

“My three-year contract with SS recently came to close and Spartan approached me. Spartan is a big company and it sells quality products. Even a single Spartan bat is very expensive for us. To have such a big company as kit sponsors is great,” said the opener who is preparing for Nepal’s sixth round of the ICC World Cricket League Championship match against Hong Kong scheduled for October 13 and 15.

Malla is currently third among the highest run getters for Nepal in the WCL having compiled 277 runs on an average of 30.77 from 10 games. Skipper Paras Khadka (352) and Sharad Vesawkar (321) are ahead of Malla. Spartan Chairman Kunal Sharma said his company is excited to have Malla on board.

“We are very excited to welcome Gayanendra Malla to the Spartan family. He has had a wonderful career representing Nepal over a number of years. His role as vice-captain of the current Nepalese team has been crucial and as a Spartan we are looking forward to his ongoing success,” said Sharma through a press release.