Cricket bar chain Sixes Social Cricket has raised investment from England captain Ben Stokes and bowlers Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer as it looks to drive into the US.
The hospitality company, whose customers can practice batting in a cricket net with a bowling machine while being served drinks and food, plans to open its first Stateside site in Dallas, Texas later this month.
Stokes, Broad and Archer's new investment vehicle, 4CAST, has agreed a partnership with Sixes, the Evening Stanard reported.
Lauren Winfield-Hill smashing sixes at Sixes ???? #Sixes #SocialCricket pic.twitter.com/7tIuiblE3U
— Sixes Social Cricket ???? (@sixescc) September 8, 2022
As part of the partnership, Sixes will tweak its bowling machine to replicate balls delivered from Broad and Archer; England test captain Stokes has been nursing a knee injury ahead of the Ashes so may have felt unable to provide his own personal input.
Sixes and 4CAST said they will also develop "new game modes" for customers.
"As one of our early investments, we believe Sixes is a fantastic concept that brings new experiences and innovations to cricket, whilst attracting new people to the sport," said Broad.
"We are all excited to be part of its growth and development, particularly with the launch in the USA this June."
Sixes currently has eight UK sites, including four in London and one each in Birmingham, Brighton, Leicester and Manchester.
The Dallas site, situated on Grandscape Boulevard, is due to open on 22 June, according to the Sixes website.
Sixes' combination of beer and batting has proved popular for cricket fans in England, especially former England star Phil Tufnell (see video), but cricket, despite a 100 year history in the country, is still a minority sport.
However, a Major League Cricket tournament is set to launch in July and the US is co-hosting the next men's T20 World Cup in 2024, with a push to get the sport in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
4CAST, which was founded by Archer, Broad and Stokes in 2021, is "the first athlete-led entrepreneurial collective of its kind," said director Ruari Bell.
He said the organisation provides "a corporate avenue for internationally acclaimed athletes to venture into business and investment opportunities alongside their high sporting careers".