Today the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Faze Technologies will launch collectible trading cards and video non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for cricket. Additionally, Faze announced that it has received $17.4 million in funding from Tiger, Coatue, Sequoia and Dapper Labs.
Faze has partnered with Dapper to launch video moments on the Flow blockchain, similar to Dapper’s NBA Top Shot.
“Cricket has an outstanding track record of using technology to connect fans with our sport and this is our next evolution, from trading cards to video NFTs where fans can own their favourite plays from ICC events,” said Finn Bradshaw, ICC Head of Digital
Faze was co-founded by CEO Anshum Bhambri, a former investment banker with Bank of America and Credit Suisse. The founders took part in Andreessen Horowitz’s inaugural Crypto Startup School. However, A16z is not mentioned as one of the backers.
“Faze is building the metaverse for cricket,” said Bhambri.” We are in a unique position to combine NFTs, gaming, financial utilities, and money-can’t-buy experiences to create a platform for cricket aficionados to collect, use, play, and interact with cricket through NFTs. We can’t wait to give more than 1 billion cricket lovers the opportunity to own the game that means so much to them, and to engage with cricket in a whole new way.”
Dapper Labs also has sports deals with the NFL and Spanish soccer’s La Liga to create NFT moments.
