Pepsi ICC WCL Championship matches to be broadcast live
The ICC today announced live streaming of 16 matches from the remaining three rounds of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Championship 2011-2013, commencing with the crucial fifth round fixtures that kick off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 6 March.
This is the first time multiple WCL Championship matches will be broadcast to a global audience. Four games of the upcoming fifth round will be streamed live at www.icc-cricket.com, and viewers will be able to watch all matches free of charge.
Tim Anderson, the ICC's Global Development Manager, said: "This live coverage marks another important step in the ICC's objective to shine a brighter light on the elite cricket being played by the top Associate and Affiliate Members.
"Kevin O'Brien and Paul Stirling of Ireland, and Mohammed Nabi and Mohammed Shahzad of Afghanistan, are examples of the talented players now competing at this level, and we are therefore delighted to be offering cricket fans the opportunity to see these new stars of international cricket in action.
"The significant context of these WCL Championship matches can also not be underestimated. With two places in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 on the line, all teams have a significant prize to play for," Mr Anderson added.
In the first live broadcasts of the fifth round, Afghanistan takes on second-placed Scotland in two ODIs, on 6 and 8 March respectively, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, a match-up Afghanistan must win to stay in contention for a top-two finish.
In the other live broadcast fixture of round five, table-topper Ireland faces host UAE on 18 and 20 March, also at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
UAE will be looking to pick up some points from these fixtures to keep its automatic qualification hopes alive, while two wins for Ireland would see Ireland take a significant step to cementing a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
In other fifth-round fixtures, Kenya takes on Canada in two ODIs at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai on 11 and 13 March, while Namibia hosts third-placed Netherlands on 16 and 18 April.
The sixth and penultimate round of the WCL Championship will be played during July and August 2013, while the final round matches will be staged in September and October 2013.
Details of all Round 5 WCL Championship matches are as follows:
Afghanistan v Scotland
6 March - ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah *
8 March - ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah *
Kenya v Canada
11 March - ODI, ICC Global Cricket Academy Oval No.1, Dubai
13 March - ODI, ICC Global Cricket Academy Oval No.1, Dubai
UAE v Ireland
18 March - 50-over, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah *
20 March - 50-over, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah *
Namibia v Netherlands
16 April - 50-over, Wanderers, Windhoek
18 April - 50-over, Wanderers, Windhoek
*Denotes matches that will be live streamed at www.icc-cricket.com
Broadcast matches in the final two rounds will include:
Round 6
Scotland v Kenya
Netherlands v Ireland
Round 7
Ireland v Scotland
Afghanistan v Kenya
Canada v Netherlands
UAE v Namibia
Dates and venues of these fixtures will be announced in due course.