International Cricket Council opens up its vault of memorable matches

The International Cricket Council has opened up its vault of memorable matches in a bid to help broadcasters and fans fill the current void left by the coronavirus crisis.

With fixtures across the globe scrubbed from a usually packed calendar due to the pandemic, the world governing body has stepped in to make some old favourites from its archives available.

As well as helping television companies fill their schedules with footage, highlights and films of ICC events dating back to the 1975 World Cup, supporters will also be able to get their fix via the ICC’s social media channels.

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.”

Meanwhile, a further raft of international fixtures due to take place before June 30 have been postponed.

The 1975 World Cup will be released from the archives.
The 1975 World Cup will be released from the archives (PA)

The move impacts regional qualifying events for the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in 2021 and the next 50-over World Cup in 2023.

The decision covers qualifiers in Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, covering eight separate competitions.

A Women’s World Cup qualifier, scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka between July 3-19, is kept under review.

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