According to an ICC media release, in 102 countries, traditional broadcasting will help fans view the content while the digital platforms will reach out to 204 countries — a staggering double — and reaching out to 1.3 billion viewers. Star Sports’ over-the-top (OTT) platform Hotstar will also stream the matches live in around 70 countries, including the Indian sub-continent, Canada, Central Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Sixteen teams will take part in the tournament with the final scheduled to be held on February 3. Defending champions West Indies will kick-start the tournament on Saturday when they take on New Zealand at Tauranga, also the venue for the event’s final. India, who have Australia, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe in their group, will start their campaign on January 14. Four groups of four teams form the group stage, from which the top two will make the cut for the quarterfinals.
The ICC has already announced the elite panel of commentators who are eagerly looking forward to the marquee tournament. an illustrious list of former cricketers will join the commentary panel as well with former India captain Sourav Ganguly, Australian all-rounder Tom Moody and West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop being roped in. “I’m very enthusiastic about doing commentary at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup as it will give me a chance to see the best upcoming talent from around the world on a single platform. A lot of future stars will be in action and I’m sure the matches will be very competitive,” Ganguly was quoted as saying in the ICC release.
Other commentators include the likes of Anjum Chopra, Simon Doull, Danny Morrison, Rob Key, Nick Knight, Mark Butcher, Grant Elliott, Chris Harris, HD Ackerman, Russel Arnold and Alan Wilkins.
“It is with great anticipation that I once again look ahead to another edition of the ICC U19 CWC. Every team at the highest levels of the game has incorporated graduates from previous editions of this wonderful tournament. The ICC U19 CWC offers these exceptional young talents a clear pathway to fulfilling their cricketing dreams. I look forward once again, along with my colleagues, to relaying the stories and analyzing the performances of these future stars from the 2018 edition in New Zealand,” Bishop added.
ICC will also release an official app for the tournament with all the latest news and updates related to the tournament.
