Featured image credit: Kardinia Park
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed in-stadium digital experience plans for the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup, while Saudi energy and chemicals company Aramco will aid the tournament’s sustainability efforts as part of a new sponsorship deal announced today (Friday).
Australia’s staging of the T20 World Cup commences on Sunday, two years later than originally planned, when Namibia face Sri Lanka at Kardinia Park in Geelong.
In July 2020, the ICC confirmed that year’s T20 World Cup in Australia would be postponed due to COVID-19. The national team tournament was later rescheduled to run from October 16 to November 13, 2022, with the venues confirmed back in November 2021.
Ahead of the start of the World Cup, the ICC today set out its plans to build on the digital impact of the 2021 event in Oman and the UAE, which delivered a record total of 2.55 billion minutes of action consumed across the governing body’s digital assets. A total of 618 million fans were said to have engaged with the tournament on digital platforms, a 28% jump from the 2019 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
From an in-stadium perspective, fans will get access to new interactive features including in stadia voting for what music will be played at matches and being a part of interactive light shows at certain events. At certain matches, fans will also be able to engage in a “Big Time” immersive AR experience.
“The ICC is dedicated to using technology to elevate the cricket fan’s experience, whether they are in a stadium in Perth or on the bus in Pune,” said Finn Bradshaw, the ICC’s head of digital.
In other news, the ICC today announced a global partnership with Aramco, granting the company sponsorship of all major men’s and women’s events scheduled until the end of 2023, including the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
The partnership will seek to reflect a shared focus on sustainability and innovation, as the ICC moves towards making cricket a more sustainable sport.
As a first initiative under the partnership, Aramco recycling machines will be installed across all seven match venues in Australia for the T20 World Cup. Plastic waste recycled from these machines will be converted into clothing for future ICC events.
The ICC today said that Australia will begin its title defence in front of a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with the opening Super 12 clash officially declared a sell-out. In what will be a re-match of the 2021 final, the host nation will face New Zealand on October 22.
Over 600,000 tickets have already been snapped up by fans to watch the first ever Men’s T20 World Cup played in Australia.
The highly anticipated India v Pakistan fixture, to be played the following night at the MCG on October 23, will also be played in front of a full house after additional standing room tickets released two months ago were sold within 10 minutes.
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