All 34 matches of the impending ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 are set to be broadcast or streamed live worldwide, with a host of broadcasters like Star Sports network, Disney+ Hotstar, ESPN, Fox Sports, PTV, and Sky Sports taking up network duties. The Qualifiers are a pivotal event with 10 teams battling for the remaining two slots to compete in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup scheduled in India this year.
Through a first in the history of Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, viewers can enjoy all 34 matches live. Each ball of the 34 ODIs between June 18 and July 9 in Zimbabwe is geared for television or live streaming. The kickoff games will have the host nation Zimbabwe versus Nepal and West Indies playing the USA.
The 20 ODIs hosted at Harare Sports Club and Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo will be typically produced for broadcasting, while the remaining 14 games held at the Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare and the Bulawayo Athletic Club will follow live stream specifications.
Star Sports, the official global broadcast partner of the ICC, will broadcast these matches in the sub-continent. Indian Cricket enthusiasts can watch these matches on Star Sports 1 and stream them via Disney+Hotstar or FanCode. Likewise, Nepalese fans can watch the matches on Star Sports and stream games through Net TV, while in Bangladesh, select matches will be aired on Gazi TV and all games accessible via Rabbithole and Toffee.
For fans in Sri Lanka, TV1 and Sirasa TV will broadcast the matches and digital coverage provided by Maharaja TV’s website. Subscribers of PTV Sports in Pakistan can access 20 games and all matches through the PTV app.
Caribbean viewers may enjoy matches on ESPN and ESPN 2, while all games can be streamed via ESPN Play. In the North American region, Willow TV will deliver 20 TV games and live streaming provided by ESPN+ in the US and Hotstar in Canada. Sky Sports Cricket channel will bring the matches to the UK audience and all matches downloadable via the Sky Sports app. European viewers can stream games via Yupp TV.
For African cricket followers, Supersport will televise and provide online access to the games across sub-Saharan Africa including South Africa. Zimbabwean fans can also find the games broadcasted on Supersport and stream them via the Supersport app.
Enthusiasts in the Middle East, cheering for teams like Oman and UAE, will be able to witness the mayhem through CricLife and CricLife Max channels. The live-streamed matches will be available on StarzPlay, Switch TV, and Du platforms in this region.
ICC’s digital platforms promise short-form highlights, and they will be provided through the official ICC Website and social media channels on Instagram and Facebook. BBC Sport takes up the responsibility for the UK & Ireland. Digital 2 Sports on YouTube will manage global audio coverage.
An esteemed commentary squad has been assembled for the event, including notable figures like Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Ian Bishop, Natalie Germanos, and others. An additional team for live-streamed matches features Raunak Kapoor, Andrew Leonard, Nikhil Uttamchandani, Firdose Moonda, and Tino Mawoyo.
The former Zimbabwe international player, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, expects that the Zimbabwean fans will create an energetic atmosphere at the event, setting a stage of intense competition and high expectation.
