To celebrate Ford Australia's ongoing partnership with Cricket Australia, state teams will begin their limited overs competition next week in their bid to win the prestigious Ford Ranger Cup.

"Ford Australia is very excited to be part of one of the great domestic cricket competitions in the world," said Ford Australia President Tom Gorman.

"This competition has been a nursery for some of the best one-day players the world has seen, including Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey.

"It is also the competition that introduced such successful innovations as the now internationally accepted run rate bonus point."

The Ranger is Ford Australia's new light commercial vehicle and goes on sale later this year, replacing the Ford Courier.

"The dynamic nature of today's light commercial market makes this the ideal time to introduce a new brand.

"The Ford Ranger offers everything today's light truck owner wants – a dependable, reliable truck for Monday to Friday, and a comfortable, feature-packed recreational vehicle for weekend getaways and sporting events.

"The new Ranger provides all those features and more, and is set to become Australia's next great all-rounder!

"It was the obvious choice to sponsor an exciting competition like the Ford Ranger Cup," Mr Gorman said.