Best of cricket mascots: 10 Instances when Mascots took center stage in cricket

 Mello- Mascot of the 2007 World Cup

Considered to be one of the most underwhelming World Cup tournaments of all time, the 2007 World Cup was hosted by the West Indies. Its woes were highlighted by two heavyweights India and Pakistan being eliminated in the group stage itself. This robbed the World Cup tournament of the majority of its viewership from the Indian subcontinent. The tournament was won by Australia who defeated Sri Lanka in the final amidst controversy and poor light.

However, one interesting thing about the World Cup was its mascot named “Mello”- who was an orange-coloured raccoon/mongoose who was described as not being an animal, person, or object. He also had a red ribbon on his light blue, which was a nod to the growing HIV epidemic around the world. Mello remains one of the most visible mascots as he used to be present during the toss in several matches and was pictured alongside the likes of Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith, and Brian Lara. He carried a large bat with him and was often seen standing crossed leg and tossing a white ball.