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Tag: Test Cricket

  • Test cricket’s digital triumph defies the doomsayers

    Test cricket’s digital triumph defies the doomsayers

    MUMBAI: Test cricket may be fighting for its future, but the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has delivered a resounding riposte to the sceptics. More than 170 million viewers logged onto JioHotstar during the five-match series between India and England—the highest-ever reach for a Test series on digital platforms.

    The numbers tell a compelling story. A staggering 65 billion minutes of watch time were clocked up as the series unfolded from 20 June  to 4 August. The climactic fifth day at The Oval alone drew a peak of 13 million concurrent viewers, setting a new record for online Test match streaming.

    All five matches went the distance, with nail-biting finishes and dramatic plot twists keeping audiences glued to their screens. Even when rain curtailed play on the Sunday at The Oval, with England needing just 35 runs and India four wickets, thousands returned on Monday morning for what many knew might be only an hour’s play.

    “The extraordinary response reinforced Test cricket’s ability to forge compelling narratives in almost every session,” said JioStar head of content for sports Siddharth Sharma. The platform served coverage in five languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

    Yet this triumph highlights cricket’s central paradox. Whilst series between the sport’s “Big Three”—England, India and Australia—continue to thrive, concerns persist about Test cricket’s inclusivity for lower-ranked nations. The format’s commercial success remains concentrated among a privileged few.

    These worries have prompted the ICC to form an eight-member working group, led by chief executive Sanjog Gupta, to assess a proposed two-tier World Test Championship. England’s cricket board opposes the plan, fearing relegation could cost them lucrative clashes with Australia or India.

    The series marked India’s opening gambit in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, ending in a 2-2 draw after the final session. Fans also devoured Follow the Blues, a behind-the-scenes series, and When India Challenged the Crown, which revisited India’s Test legacy in England.

    JioStar now turns its attention to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, beginning 30 September.

  • Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara joins FantasyDangal as brand ambassador

    Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara joins FantasyDangal as brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Fantasy sports platform FantasyDangal has announced the onboarding of cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara as its brand ambassador. With the collaboration, Pujara will appear in upcoming campaigns and promote FantasyDangal as an established fantasy sports platform.

    Pujara is the second-fastest Indian to reach 1,000 test runs. He has scored 6,792 runs in 96 Tests, including three double centuries and 18 centuries. In India’s first Test Series victory on Australian territory, his three hundreds helped him win the Man of the Series title. He has been a pillar of the Indian batting order for the most of the past ten years.

    A batsman of rare disposition, with his love for grinding down attacks, Pujara has been India’s preferred one-down batsman for years. He is also known for his unbelievable attributes of dependability and trustworthiness in the Indian cricket scene. Hence, the partnership between the batting stalwart and FantasyDangal will bring an influx of sports enthusiasts to the platform and further cement the platform’s position as one of the country’s most trustworthy and user-friendly fantasy sports platforms.

    The company has also launched a customer loyalty programme, under which participants in fantasy sports are eligible to take entirely sponsored trips outside India for free. In addition to the numerous benefits associated with playing on FantasyDangal, users also enjoy the benefits of lightning-fast withdrawals to enjoy their gameplay.

    Speaking on his appointment, Pujara commented, “Sports enthusiasts are increasingly embracing fantasy sports in the country. With FantasyDangal, you are not just playing for entertainment but also learning how to master fantasy sports. As a brand ambassador, I am excited to collaborate with such a dynamic company.”

    As a fast-developing fantasy sports platform with over two million current active users, FantasyDangal aims to become India’s next-door online fantasy sports paradise. With cricket and kabaddi in its existing catalogue, it plans to add new sports to its repertoire, like football and basketball, in the coming days. Other than classic fantasy, they also have batting, bowling, and innuendo fantasy. The platform provides second innings fantasy with a twist where one needs to select only seven players, which involves strategy compared to selecting eleven players.

    Apart from this, they have a loyalty programme in the industry called the Dangal MVP (most valuable player) programme, which involves cashbacks, rewards, and fully sponsored international trips for the users. Trips abroad and live match experiences from the stadium make this programme unique, where users can experience seeing matches live on their app.

    FantasyDangal business head Ankit Anand said, “Cheteshwar Pujara has set some unmatched records in global cricket and is regarded as one of the best batsmen. Besides being a world-class player, he also represents trust and reliability in Indian cricket, which ties in seamlessly with FantasyDangal’s ethos. Our connection with him sets us on a journey where we picture perfection due to our never-ending efforts to excel in our field and provide the best experience to our dedicated users.”

  • Mayank Agarwal signs with Baseline Ventures for commercial representation

    Mayank Agarwal signs with Baseline Ventures for commercial representation

    Mumbai: Sports, events, entertainment, and licensing firm Baseline Ventures has signed Indian cricketer and T20 league Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal to represent him in all commercial aspects.

    He has scored more than 2,000 runs in the IPL in 113 games. He has also amassed more than 4,000 runs in domestic T20s.

    “Having signed with Baseline Ventures, I am incredibly happy and looking forward to seeing how this will help me in my career. Today, every athlete needs the right representation, and having the right people around me to handle the commercial aspects would be hugely beneficial,” said Agarwal.

    “We at Baseline Ventures are very pleased to represent a seasoned cricketer in Mayank Agarwal. He proved his mettle at the highest level after amassing a mountain of runs on the domestic circuit, and his record in Test cricket speaks volumes of his prowess. We want to make sure Mayank’s brand keeps growing in the right direction,” said Baseline Ventures co-founder Vishal Jaison.

    After a record-breaking domestic season in 2017-18, which included over 1,000 runs within a single month and other consistent performances for both Karnataka and India A across formats, he got his maiden call up to the Indian Team midway through the 2018-19 Border Gavaskar Series in Australia, where his gritty knock of 76 on Test Match debut in Melbourne was the second highest score by an Indian opener making his test debut overseas.

  • Sony Sports to telecast docuseries ‘Down Underdogs’ starting 14 January

    Sony Sports to telecast docuseries ‘Down Underdogs’ starting 14 January

    Mumbai: Sony Sports Network has produced a special docuseries titled “Down Underdogs – India’s Greatest Comeback” that will premiere on 14 January and telecast daily until 17 January.

    The docuseries will be telecast on Sony Six and Sony Ten 4 in English and Sony Ten 3 in Hindi. It will also be aired on Sony Max HD, Sony SAB HD and Sony Pix channels and streaming on the OTT platform SonyLIV. The broadcaster has partnered with Byju’s Classes, Skoda and Dafa News for the docuseries.

    The launch of the four-part docuseries will be in Hindi and English followed by a Tamil and Telugu broadcast on a later date. The series captures team India’s historic Test series win against Australia at The Gabba in 2020-21.

    “Down Underdogs – India’s Greatest Comeback” has been entirely produced in-house amidst some extremely challenging Covid-19 scenarios. Interviews with players and commentators located in England and Australia were conducted via local partnerships and remote production technology.

    The series will showcase current players like Mohammed Siraj and Hanuma Vihari along with prominent personalities like Sunil Gavaskar, Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Sanjay Manjrekar, Lisa Sthalekar, Nick Knight, and Isa Guha.

    Apart from the world-class cricketing insights, a team of raconteurs like Rajdeep Sardesai, Harsha Bhogle, Ayaz Memon, Joy Bhattacharjya and Gaurav Kapur will help navigate through the incredible subplots and storylines in the series.

    “We take immense pride to bring back to life one of the most historic memories of Indian Test cricket through Down Underdogs – India’s Greatest Comeback,” said Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul. “The series is an aide-mémoire to all Indian cricket fans who had an unflinching belief in the team despite all odds and more so as an exemplary story to inspire generations to come.”

    “India’s win in Australia early last year will go down as one of the greatest wins in Indian cricket history,” said former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. “To pick themselves up after the dismissal with their lowest ever test score of 36 and then to beat a rampant home team is a tribute to the determination shown by the players and the leadership roles played by the captain Rahane, coach Ravi Shastri and his support group.

    “India’s Greatest Comeback will invite viewers to revisit Team India’s amazing comeback leading to the series win,” said former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke. “India picked an attack that worked. Different bowlers – not everyone bowls the same, different tactics, different skills, different weapons, so the credit goes to India for their execution but also Australia might have taken for granted their success in the first test.”

  • Ratings make India-England ‘Biggest Test Series of the Year’

    Ratings make India-England ‘Biggest Test Series of the Year’

    MUMBAI: In a season, which will see India play 13 Tests in 2016-17, the longer format of cricket has seen a revival in terms of following and viewership. Owing to intense finishes, audience numbers in the last three games at Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai in the India versus England series was good. Following India’s good performance, broadcast rights holder Star India and its digital sibling Hotstar too gained.

    While India defeated the England cricket team comprehensively 4-0 in the five-match Test series, it was clear that Captain Virat Kohli and his team’s exploits were getting back the mojo associated with Test cricket. Team India’s cricketing exploits reflected on the numbers too: a total of 572 million impressions in the first four Tests in the urban market and a total of 956 million impressions in the all-India market.

    The fourth Test saw Kohli hitting 235, his third triple century this year. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India ratings, the highest viewership, 246 million impressions, was garnered in the fourth Test, in which India defeated the visitors by an innings and 36 runs. This was also the highest rating for any Test featuring India in the last three years. Calculated on 4+ all-India pro-rata base, the data proves that it was indeed the ‘Biggest Test series of the Year’.

    With Dean Jones clearly suggesting that Asia, in general, and India, in particular, need to like the longer format of the game for its survival, the ratings prove that audiences are on the right track. With the next test series at home lined up against Australia, there’s surely no dearth of excitement for the fans of the longer version of the game. The four match Test series starts on 23 February 2017.

    Meanwhile, coming back to India vs. England series, the first Test got 244 million impressions in the all-India market and clocked 144 million impressions from the urban market. The second Test grew in numbers with 248 and 147 million impressions, respectively, in the all-India and urban market. The third Test saw a little lull, garnering 218 and 131 million impressions, respectively.

  • Ratings make India-England ‘Biggest Test Series of the Year’

    Ratings make India-England ‘Biggest Test Series of the Year’

    MUMBAI: In a season, which will see India play 13 Tests in 2016-17, the longer format of cricket has seen a revival in terms of following and viewership. Owing to intense finishes, audience numbers in the last three games at Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai in the India versus England series was good. Following India’s good performance, broadcast rights holder Star India and its digital sibling Hotstar too gained.

    While India defeated the England cricket team comprehensively 4-0 in the five-match Test series, it was clear that Captain Virat Kohli and his team’s exploits were getting back the mojo associated with Test cricket. Team India’s cricketing exploits reflected on the numbers too: a total of 572 million impressions in the first four Tests in the urban market and a total of 956 million impressions in the all-India market.

    The fourth Test saw Kohli hitting 235, his third triple century this year. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India ratings, the highest viewership, 246 million impressions, was garnered in the fourth Test, in which India defeated the visitors by an innings and 36 runs. This was also the highest rating for any Test featuring India in the last three years. Calculated on 4+ all-India pro-rata base, the data proves that it was indeed the ‘Biggest Test series of the Year’.

    With Dean Jones clearly suggesting that Asia, in general, and India, in particular, need to like the longer format of the game for its survival, the ratings prove that audiences are on the right track. With the next test series at home lined up against Australia, there’s surely no dearth of excitement for the fans of the longer version of the game. The four match Test series starts on 23 February 2017.

    Meanwhile, coming back to India vs. England series, the first Test got 244 million impressions in the all-India market and clocked 144 million impressions from the urban market. The second Test grew in numbers with 248 and 147 million impressions, respectively, in the all-India and urban market. The third Test saw a little lull, garnering 218 and 131 million impressions, respectively.

  • ICC honchos meeting culminates in Dubai

    ICC honchos meeting culminates in Dubai

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council met on Wednesday at the ICC headquarters in Dubai for the second of its scheduled quarterly meetings of 2014. The Board discussed a range of issues, including reports from the ICC chief executives’, audit, finance and commercial affairs, among other plans.

    The two day meeting that ended today resulted in some very important announcements regarding the schedule for 2014 as well as the coming years.

    Meritocratic pathway for Test cricket

    The ICC Board approved the introduction of an ICC Test Challenge which will take place every four years between the lowest ranked Test team and the winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

    The proposal is that the 10th ranked side on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings on 31 December 2017, or at the conclusion of any series in progress at that time, will play two five-day matches at home and two five-day matches away against the winner of the upcoming ICC Intercontinental Cup, with the inaugural Challenge scheduled to take place during 2018.

    In the next eight years, two ICC Intercontinental Cup tournaments are planned with the first to run from 2015 to 2017 and the second to be held between 2019 and 2021.  The second ICC Test Challenge is scheduled for 2022.

    ICC chief executive David Richardson said: “The ICC Test Challenge now opens the door for Associate Members to play Test cricket and in doing so gives even greater context to the ICC Intercontinental Cup which will now be a pathway to Test cricket.”

    ICC reform of governance and financial models

    Further to the resolutions passed at the ICC Board meeting in Singapore on 8 February 2014, the ICC Board members agreed a long-term work plan to support the implementation of those resolutions which do not require constitutional change.

    At the same time the ICC Board authorised the drawing up of the necessary constitutional amendments which will be placed before the Full Council at the ICC Annual Conference to be held in Melbourne at the end of June.

    One of the cornerstones of the new financial model is an extended Future Tours Programme (FTP) which will now run until 2023.

    Richardson explained: “The FTP is a very important piece of work as it gives Members long-term certainty in relation to both their playing schedule and financial planning. Significant progress has been made but there is still work to be done to develop a balanced calendar of tours and finalise these agreements.”

    ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014

    The ICC Board thanked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the successful staging of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 and praised the Bangladesh government, security agencies and the general public for their contributions and support. The ICC Board also congratulated Sri Lanka for winning the men’s title and Australia’s women for completing a hat-trick of titles.

    ICC president Alan Isaac said: “The ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 was an extremely successful event which was thoroughly enjoyed by the players, officials, spectators and media. A lot of credit must be given to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC team for putting up a memorable show.”

    “The event helped Bangladesh enhance its infrastructure in Dhaka and Chittagong and develop a new international venue in Sylhet.  Sri Lanka’s triumph means the event has produced five different men’s champions in as many editions. The encouraging performances of the Associate Members and their successes over the Full Members clearly reflect that the ICC World Twenty20 is the most open tournament on the ICC calendar,” he added.

    Format and qualification process for the ICC World Twenty20 2016

    Following the success of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014, the ICC Board agreed that the same format be retained for the ICC World Twenty20 events in 2016, which will be staged in India.

    For the 2016 event, the top eight Full Members on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings as on 30 April 2014 will automatically qualify for the second round, while the ninth and 10th ranked Full Members will get automatic places in the first round. The six qualifiers will progress from the 14-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, which will be staged in Ireland and Scotland from 9 July to 2 August 2015 during which a total of 51 matches will be played.

    ICC Cricket Committee

    The Board ratified the appointment of Australia coach Darren Lehmann and the West Indies coach Ottis Gibson as the representatives of national coaches on the ICC Cricket Committee following the completion of former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten’s term.

    Other updates

    The ICC Board also considered a general update on anti-corruption and integrity while the IDI Board received a report from the Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee which included updates on the commercial rights post-2015, Host and Members’ Participation Agreements for the next commercial rights cycle, online piracy, event forecasts and audited financial statements for 2013.

    The next ICC and IDI Board meetings will take place during the ICC Annual Conference week in Melbourne in June 2014.

  • First day of ICC Board meeting concludes with unanimous support for key principles

    First day of ICC Board meeting concludes with unanimous support for key principles

    DUBAI: The first day of the International Cricket Council’s Board meetings concluded in Dubai on 28 January with unanimous support for a set of principles relating to the future structure, governance and financial models of the ICC.

     

    The ICC Board unanimously supported the following principles: 

     

    * There will be an opportunity for all Members to play all formats of cricket on merit, with participation based on meritocracy; no immunity to any country, and no change to membership status.  

     

    * A Test Cricket Fund paid equally on an annual basis to all Full Members (except the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board) will be introduced to encourage and support Test match cricket.

     

    * A larger percentage from the increasing Associate Members’ surplus will be distributed to the higher performing non-Full Members.

     

    * Mutually agreed bi-lateral FTP Agreements which will be legally binding and bankable and will run for the same period as the ICC commercial rights cycle (2015-2023).

     

    * Recognition of the need for strong leadership of the ICC, involving leading Members, which will involve BCCI taking a central leadership responsibility.

     

    * A need to recognise the varying contribution of Full Members to the value of ICC events through the payment of ‘contribution costs’.

     

    * The establishment of an Executive Committee (ExCo) and Financial & Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA) to provide leadership at an operational level, with five members, including BCCI, CA and ECB representatives. Anybody from within the Board can be elected to Chair the Board and anybody from within ExCo and F&CA can be elected to Chair those Committees. With the ICC undergoing a transitional period that includes a new governance structure and media rights cycle, this leadership will be provided for two years from June 2014 by: a BCCI representative to Chair the ICC Board, a CA representative to Chair the ExCo and an ECB representative to Chair the F&CA.  

     

    * A new company will be incorporated to tender future commercial rights for ICC events.  There will be three major ICC events in each four-year cycle, including the ICC Champions Trophy which will replace the ICC World Test Championship.

     

    * ICC will utilise a more efficient operating model for all ICC events, with a simplified accounting model across ICC income and expenditure to help better manage ICC administrative and event costs.

     

    ICC President Alan Isaac said: “This is an important time for world cricket and it is extremely encouraging that the ICC Board has unanimously supported a set of far-reaching principles that will underpin the long-term prosperity of the global game.

     

    “These principles emphasise the primacy of Test cricket and that for the first time in cricket’s history participation will be based entirely on meritocracy, giving everyone powerful incentives to play better cricket and develop better cricketers. 

     

    “There is more work to be done by the Members in developing their schedules of bilateral cricket while at the ICC we need to work through the detail of the manner in which these principles will be implemented.

     

    “Extensive work will now be undertaken in advance of a follow-up Board meeting next month.”

     

    Isaac also expressed his disappointment with the misconceptions that had been created as a result of a draft position paper produced by three ICC Members being leaked.

     

    “Several months ago I encouraged BCCI, CA and ECB to enter into a constructive dialogue together to help resolve some of the key commercial and governance issues facing the game. These leading cricket nations have worked tirelessly to produce a document which provided the basis for the past few weeks of extremely constructive discussions.

     

    “It is obviously very disappointing that a draft position paper from these Members was leaked as this prompted a debate that ignored the ongoing negotiations between all Members and led to unwarranted criticism of many of those involved in the process.

     

    “The principles agreed today provide clear evidence that through the course of further discussions over the coming weeks we can be increasingly confident in achieving consensus.”

     

    David Richardson, the ICC Chief Executive, added: “An enormous amount of effort has gone into developing a comprehensive set of proposals that include input from all Members.

     

    “The Board has held some very constructive, inclusive, wide-ranging and far-reaching discussions and I am looking forward to bringing to fruition some of the principles that have been proposed and accepted in relation to the cricketing structures of the global game.” 

     

    The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three elected Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President.

     

    Alan Isaac                                                      ICC President

    Mustafa Kamal                                               ICC Vice-President

    David Richardson                                          ICC Chief Executive

     

    Zaka Ashraf                                                     Pakistan

    Dave Cameron                                                 West Indies

    Peter Chingoka                                                Zimbabwe

    Giles Clarke                                                     England and Wales

    Jayantha Dharmadasa                                      Sri Lanka

    Wally Edwards                                                  Australia

    Nazmul Hassan                                                Bangladesh

    Imran Khwaja                                                   Associate Member Representative

    Chris Nenzani                                                   South Africa

    Keith Oliver                                                      Associate Member Representative

    Martin Snedden                                                New Zealand

    Neil Speight                                                      Associate Member Representative

    Narayanaswami Srinivasan                               India

  • India West Indies Test series average at 3.76 TVR

    India West Indies Test series average at 3.76 TVR

    MUMBAI: Debunking the notion that viewer fatigue might happen with India cricket taking place almost every month, the recently concluded three match Test series at home between India and West Indies averaged a TVR of 3.76 on Neo Cricket according to Tam data for c&s 4+ market.

    This was much better compared to the TVR of 2.49 that the away three match Test series between the two countries had managed on Ten Cricket earlier in the year. Of course timings also played a big role in the performance in addition to the fact that the big names were present.

    Not surprisingly the highest rated match this time was the drawn match in Mumbai where both teams finished on the same score. That match got a TVR of 4.36. All the three Test matches crossed a TVR of 3. This shows that if the quality of the match is good and India is doing well then viewers will tune in.

    MPG India senior director R Venkatasubramanian called the delivery amazing for Test cricket. “The series had exciting cricket being played. Each match was interesting and there were turning points.”He adds that the CPRP for both the India West Indies series away and at home was satisfactory.