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Tag: Ian Chappell

  • ESPNcricinfo introduces four digital video series for World T20

    ESPNcricinfo introduces four digital video series for World T20

    NEW DELHI:  ESPNcricinfo is adding on to the cricket fever this World T20 with four exceptional flagship digital video series to bring the game closer to Indian fans. Providing comprehensive coverage of the global sporting event, ESPNcricinfo has introduced ‘Match Day’, ‘On the Road’, ‘Polite Enquiries’, and ‘Two Men Out’. The video series will set rolling on the website from 15 March and continue all through the World T20.
    Aired on ESPNcricinfo, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPNHD and the ESPNcricinfo mobile application, ‘Match Day’ will feature some of the most respected voices in cricket such as Ian Chappell and Mahela Jayawardene presenting match analysis with a unique perspective on the action. The presenters scheduled to be regulars in this series are legends and are popular for calling the game as they see it. The programme will be backed by insights into the successes, failures and key moments of the tournament.

    Speaking about ESPNcricinfo’s continuing focus to develop and deliver novel content for enhanced fan experiences across digital and television, ESPNcricinfo India and South Asia editor-in-chief Sambit Bal said, “ESPNcricinfo ‘Match Day’ brings to television all the values of the world’s premier digital cricket destination: credible voices, strong opinions, sharp insights, savvy with numbers, and the strengths of a global network. Ian Chappell, Ajit Agarkar and Sanjay Manjrekar are familiar names on ESPNcricinfo, and we are hugely excited about the television debut of Mahela Jayawardene, a World T20-winning player and a legend of the game. If we are to make only one promise, it will be this: our analysts will be calling it as they see it.”

    ESPN India and South Asia vice president Ramesh Kumar said, “In our endeavor to serve our cricket fans anytime, anywhere, ESPNcricinfo Match Day program during World T20 brings the best of ESPNcricinfo insights and analysis for every match on ESPNcricinfo digital media platforms globally. In India fans can also experience the program on Sony ESPN. The program is a perfect example of the multi-platform way that we are growing ESPNcricinfo, and highlights the value that is being unlocked for fans by our recent Sony ESPN agreement.”

    Following ‘Match Day’ fans can discover the sights and sounds of India with Melinda Farell with ‘ESPNcricinfo On The Road’ as she travels across the country on a cricketing pilgrimage. 

    A travel and features video series, ‘ESPNcricinfo On The Road’ provides fans a window to the World T20 tournament through multi-media content, social media integration and user generated content. The ESPNcricinfo On The Road microsite (link) will deliver of a mix of daily and weekly content that will be amplified on social media platforms including Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Vine, Instagram and YouTube. Not just that, the series will include a call to action for user- generated content through #ontheroad and #fandugout.

    ‘Polite enquiries’ is an interactive platform for fans, with cricket writer Jarrod Kimber and an ESPNcricinfo staff answer fan questions on Twitter. Through five episodes of light-hearted conversation, fans can send in any subject or question about cricket they may want answered.
    ‘Two men out’ will offer a quirky, yet incisive, take on recent events in the game by Kimber and popular British comedian Andy Zaltzman. The five-episode series will add a dash of humor to the TSexperience, thus augmenting fan engagement.

  • ESPNcricinfo introduces four digital video series for World T20

    ESPNcricinfo introduces four digital video series for World T20

    NEW DELHI:  ESPNcricinfo is adding on to the cricket fever this World T20 with four exceptional flagship digital video series to bring the game closer to Indian fans. Providing comprehensive coverage of the global sporting event, ESPNcricinfo has introduced ‘Match Day’, ‘On the Road’, ‘Polite Enquiries’, and ‘Two Men Out’. The video series will set rolling on the website from 15 March and continue all through the World T20.
    Aired on ESPNcricinfo, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPNHD and the ESPNcricinfo mobile application, ‘Match Day’ will feature some of the most respected voices in cricket such as Ian Chappell and Mahela Jayawardene presenting match analysis with a unique perspective on the action. The presenters scheduled to be regulars in this series are legends and are popular for calling the game as they see it. The programme will be backed by insights into the successes, failures and key moments of the tournament.

    Speaking about ESPNcricinfo’s continuing focus to develop and deliver novel content for enhanced fan experiences across digital and television, ESPNcricinfo India and South Asia editor-in-chief Sambit Bal said, “ESPNcricinfo ‘Match Day’ brings to television all the values of the world’s premier digital cricket destination: credible voices, strong opinions, sharp insights, savvy with numbers, and the strengths of a global network. Ian Chappell, Ajit Agarkar and Sanjay Manjrekar are familiar names on ESPNcricinfo, and we are hugely excited about the television debut of Mahela Jayawardene, a World T20-winning player and a legend of the game. If we are to make only one promise, it will be this: our analysts will be calling it as they see it.”

    ESPN India and South Asia vice president Ramesh Kumar said, “In our endeavor to serve our cricket fans anytime, anywhere, ESPNcricinfo Match Day program during World T20 brings the best of ESPNcricinfo insights and analysis for every match on ESPNcricinfo digital media platforms globally. In India fans can also experience the program on Sony ESPN. The program is a perfect example of the multi-platform way that we are growing ESPNcricinfo, and highlights the value that is being unlocked for fans by our recent Sony ESPN agreement.”

    Following ‘Match Day’ fans can discover the sights and sounds of India with Melinda Farell with ‘ESPNcricinfo On The Road’ as she travels across the country on a cricketing pilgrimage. 

    A travel and features video series, ‘ESPNcricinfo On The Road’ provides fans a window to the World T20 tournament through multi-media content, social media integration and user generated content. The ESPNcricinfo On The Road microsite (link) will deliver of a mix of daily and weekly content that will be amplified on social media platforms including Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Vine, Instagram and YouTube. Not just that, the series will include a call to action for user- generated content through #ontheroad and #fandugout.

    ‘Polite enquiries’ is an interactive platform for fans, with cricket writer Jarrod Kimber and an ESPNcricinfo staff answer fan questions on Twitter. Through five episodes of light-hearted conversation, fans can send in any subject or question about cricket they may want answered.
    ‘Two men out’ will offer a quirky, yet incisive, take on recent events in the game by Kimber and popular British comedian Andy Zaltzman. The five-episode series will add a dash of humor to the TSexperience, thus augmenting fan engagement.

  • Rohit Sharma wins ODI batsman of the year

    Rohit Sharma wins ODI batsman of the year

    MUMBAI: Brendon McCullum, Mitchell Johnson, Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Alex Hales and Rangana Herath are amongst the winners of the eighth edition of annual ESPNcricinfo Awards for the best batting and bowling performances in Tests, ODIs and T20s in 2014.

     

    The winners were picked by a jury consisting of Rahul Dravid, Ian Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Ajit Agarkar, Russel Arnold, Martin Crowe, Michael Bevan, Mark Butcher, Aakash Chopra, Daryll Cullinan, Michael Holding, Mark Nicholas, Ramiz Raja and Graeme Smith. Also part of the jury were ESPNcricinfo’s senior writers, Sambit Bal, Sharda Ugra, Sidharth Monga, Brydon Coverdale, Mohammad Isam, David Hopps, Osman Samiuddin, Jarrod Kimber, Firdose Moonda, Daniel Brettig, Andrew Fernando and George Dobell.

     

    Winners for each category were picked from shortlists of between nine and 14 performances selected by ESPNcricinfo staff.

     

    Brendon McCullum’s 302 against India was the first triple-hundred by a New Zealander in Tests, and came at the start of a year in which he scored 1164 Test runs.

     

    Mitchell Johnson’s seven for 68 against South Africa in Centurion saw him in arguably more fearsome form than he was during his Ashes-winning performances earlier in the season back home in Australia. It was Johnson’s second consecutive ESPNcricinfo Award in the category.

     

    Rohit Sharma’s 264 against Sri Lanka was his second double-hundred in ODIs (the first won in this category at last year’s ESPNcricinfo Awards), and the third by an Indian, following Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

     

    Lasith Malinga, who won in the best ODI bowling category for his 5 for 56 in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, is also a former ESPNcricinfo Award winner.

     

    Both winning performances in the shortest format came from the World T20: Rangana Herath’s 5 for 3 demolished New Zealand in a tournament Sri Lanka went on to win. Alex Hales won the batting award for his 116 not out against Sri Lanka, which came off 97 balls and took England to a six-wicket win.

     

    ESPNcricinfo editor-in-chief Sambit Bal said, “2014 has been an exciting year of cricket and we saw the emergence of some real champions. We want to reward champions who made a difference to cricket through their performances over the last 12 months. Selecting these winners was a daunting task, to say the least, for all the jury members, considering the immense talent that was on display. We wish the winners all the success in the world, and hope they take the gentleman’s game to greater heights.”

  • Max gears up for the cricket World Cup

    Max gears up for the cricket World Cup

    MUMBAI: With seven weeks to go before the biggest sports event of the year the cricket World Cup kicks off Max is gearing up to create buzz around the event.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Max business head Sneha Rajani says that Extraaa Innings the wrap around show kicks off at 5 pm on each match day. Since matches get over in the wee hours of the morning the pre show will start with a review of the previous match with the expert panel.

    It will then go on to previewing the upcoming match. This time around some matches will also air on the English movie channel Pix in case Max and Sab cannot accomodate them. Besides the first couple of Extraaa Innings Charu Sharma and Mandira Bedi the channel has commentators like Geoffrey Boycott, former Indian cricket coach John Wright who will provide an insider’s touch, Barry Richards and Ian Chappell. Max is also in the process of finding someone to send to the West Indies to join its commentary team with its Host Ka Dost hunt.

    Max has kicked off promotional activity for the World Cup with an on air campaign. The message is that one world will be converging in the West Indies to watch the event.

    The campaign is feel good and light in the spirit of the Caribbean which is known for its relaxed, fun atmosphere. From Friday a series of countdown spots will air to build anticipation. Rajani adds that no cricketers have been used. There will be calypso music to give viewers a feel of the upcoming event.

    On the ground the channel will conduct a roadshow next month. A van will visit 150 cities in a bid to get fans to express their support for the boys in blue. The winning placard will be sent to the Indian team. Rajani conceedes that the fact that matches finish late might impact viewing particularly for the non India games. The hope is that the matches will be involving enough so that viewers do not mind going to bed late even if the likes of Saurav and Sachin are not involved.

    The World Cup will be used to push Indian Idol 3 which is expected to kick off sometime in the May – June period on Sony. It will also push Max’s blockbusters which will kick off from May. Key shows on Sony and Sab will also be pushed.

  • Cricinfo.com expands portfolio; signs cricket experts

    Cricinfo.com expands portfolio; signs cricket experts

    MUMBAI: Cricinfo.com, which is part of the Wisden Group and provides cricket content across online, mobile, audio, print platforms, has signed on several cricket experts. They will be a part of Cricinfo’s team.

    The experts include Ravi Shastri, Ian Chappell, Sanjay Manjrekar and Tony Greig. Cricinfo.com has bolstered its audio service. It is called Cricinfo Talk. One segment is called The round table. This is a fortnightly discussion hosted by Sanjay Manjrekar on a hot issue in cricket. Last Saturday’s round table featured all the above mentioned cricketers talking about batsmen. Then there is the Tony Greig Show. He casts his eye on the games, players, issues. There will also be a section called Turning Points.

    This offers post match analysis. The cricket experts will also contribute writing pieces to the site cricinfo.com. Wisden group CEO Tom Gleeson said, “As a leading cricket media business Cricinfo has always associated itself with the best in the cricketing world. These names bring a wealth of opinion and distinct viewpoints that are respected by cricket fans
    across the world. They also reflect our commitment to develop the Cricinfo brand into one that interacts with our audiences on multiple levels.”

    Cricinfo.com editor Sambit Bal said, “ When cricinfo.com and Wisden.com merged in 2003 it was not merely a consolidation of businesses. It was the coming together of two striong ideas. Today the website is not merely the first and last destination for news and information about cricket but has also emerged as one of the games leading voices. Signing up a panel of experts who are known for their independent
    and originality is a significant step for us.”

    “Our editorial mission is simple – if there is cricket it must be covered. But there is much more to our coverage than breadth. It is about depth. It is about speed without sacrificing accuracy. It is about balance without losing the passion,” he added.

    “Cricinfo has writers from all over the world and they have been trained to look beyond their national boundaries. We aim to provide an objective but informed view. Thanks to the Wisden Almanack archives we have a match report for every match ever played. We call ourselves the home of cricket and we try to live up to it. Our millions of users rely on us to provide the ‘big picture’ because we combine local knowledge with global perspective.”

    Recently cricinfo.com launched its blogs section. Bal points out that blogs are proliferating faster than one can say cyberspace. “However Cricinfo’s blogs hold their own due to writers like Kamran Abbhasi and Tim De Lisle. We also have ex cricketers like Tony Greig as well as a current coach Bob Woolmer. However our blogs are also about readers who get to comment on every piece written and are fast forming a vibrant community for us.

    “Blogs allows our readers to not just follow the action but also be a part of it. A feature like blogs allows us to break new ground.”

    Cricinfo adds that that the avid Indian cricket fan has helped it grow. It claims that five million people globally followed the first India versus Pakistan test earlier this year. One in four visitors is Indian. The UK, and Australia each provide 15 per cent of cricinfo’s visitors. The US with their NRIs is also a significant market for cricinfo. Cricinfo.com says that last month Indian fans read more than 212 million pages of news, scorecards, match reports and profiles.

    Globally 151 million page views were recorded from 5.6 million unique users. This refers to different individuals visiting the site during the month. Cricinfo adds that a high point came
    in 13 February 2006 when over 1.25 million people wanted news about an ODI between India and Pakistan as well as VB series final from Australia. The classic match between Australia and South Africa where the latter chased down 434 runs in an ODI got 685,000 page views for the match report.

    Sachin Tendulkar is the site’s most visited player profile page. Cricinfo says that in one year its home page has got over half a billion visits.

    The Mobile Plans: Cricinfo also recently ventured into the mobile sphere. Its short code is 2742 and delivers information and entertainment products across verticals ranging from SMS to Wap. Its site is cricinfomobile.com. It provides content in india to Hutch, Spice Telecom, Idea and Tata Indicom. The
    content that it offers includes:

    – SMS. This means live scores, wicket alerts, news trivia, statistics and contests.
    – MMS. This refers to mwallpapers, games, realtoneas and other java based applications.
    – Wap – Wap.Cricinfo,.com offers live scroes, news, statistics, ringtones etc.
    – Connected platforms. Cricinfo Genie the firm says is the first connected cricket applicatio0n in India which allows mobile consumers to watch cricket live on their phones in a simulated format.

    Cricinfo Trivia Champ meanwhile is a connected trivia game that allows subscribers to compete against thousands of other cricket fans for weekly sweepstakes. Cricinfo Mobile also has dwals with mobile operators in the UK, Australia, Sri Lanka , Pakistan and Bangaldesh. There are now plans to roll out the service in the US and the Middle East since there is a large Indian expatriate community living here.

    Now Cricinfo Mobile will also provide match analysis of India matches, the Ashes and the cricket World Cup courtesy Ravi Shastri and Tony Greig.