ICC opens cricket archives for fans during coronavirus pandemic

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has opened its comprehensive archives of match footage and programming giving cricket fans the opportunity to relive some of the greatest cricketing moments of the last 45 years as they stay at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move will enable fans around the world to watch memorable cricket matches, highlights and ICC films at a time live sport programming stands disrupted due to the Corona Virus. Cricket events dating back to 1975, including the men’s and women’s ICC Cricket World Cups and T20 World Cups, the Champions Trophy as well as the U19 World Cups have been made available.

Cricket fans can join in the fun via Watch Parties on the ICC Facebook page where some of the most iconic games in the history of the sport will be replayed in full. Match highlights and tournament recaps will also be delivered through ICC social channels and the ICC website and mobile app and fans can get involved and vote on the memories they want to see from the ICC archive.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We are facing unprecedented times as a sports industry and the need to connect with our fan communities is perhaps greater than ever. With no live cricket to unite our fans around the world we thought the next best thing would be to release our archive to broadcast partners so fans can enjoy some magnificent memories.

“We hope this move will help our broadcast partners replace cancelled sports fixtures with some highly engaging content and give cricket fans the opportunity to relive some of the great cricketing moments whilst we all stay at home.

“There will also be the opportunity for fans to get involved via the ICC social channels, with Facebook Watch Parties on the ICC Facebook page and votes for which matches from the last four decades they want to unlock from the ICC archive.”

The footage available to broadcasters will include memorable matches of the ICC men’s events including those between rivals Australia and New Zealand, adversaries India and Pakistan and featuring Ashes competitors Australia and England.

Selected matches of the 1975, 1979 and 1983 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup editions held in England, as well as most knockout matches of subsequent editions will be among the inventory available for broadcasters to show in full or as highlights as they rework their programming in the coming weeks.

Fans will also be able to re-experience matches of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 2006, 2009 and 2013, and five editions of the T20 World Cup from 2007 to 2014. Those looking for women’s matches, will get to watch the 2009 and 2013 editions, apart from matches of different T20 World Cups.

The official film, official highlights and behind-the-scenes programmes from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, which ended in a dramatic victory for hosts England at Lord’s, will also be made available, providing fans with both match action as well as behind the scenes stories.

There will also be several other similar programmes from other ICC Events while the programmes on women’s cricket include features on the stars of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2018 and the stars of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.