MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council?s (ICC) global broadcast partner ESPN Star Sports and its licensing partners will take the coverage of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2012 to more than 180 countries with live broadcast of all the 10 matches to be played at Tony Ireland Stadium, Queensland, Australia.

The broadcast coverage of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012, which will be staged from 11 to 26 August, will start with the tournament opener between defending champion Australia and arch-rival England on Saturday, 11 August, and will culminate with the final to be staged on Sunday, 26 August.

During the two-week period, fans from across the globe will be able to watch all 10 matches to be played at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville. This will include coverage of five group stage matches, two Super League quarter-finals, two Super League semi-finals and the final.

ESPN STAR Sports will broadcast the matches in Indian sub-continent including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan. In Sri Lanka, Carlton Sports will telecast the matches on terrestrial network.

Ten Sports along with PTV will telecast the matches in Pakistan and in England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, the matches will be televised on BSkyB, while in Australia the event will be shown on Fox Sports.

ART Prime Sports will telecast the matches in the Middle East and North Africa. Sportscaster SuperSport will bring the event for audiences in Sub Saharan Africa and South Africa.

ESPN STAR Sports and its licensees will service cricket?s traditional heartlands in South Asia, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, and the coverage will also be seen across the continents of Africa and South America, and throughout the Middle East, USA and Canada.

Cricket fans in South America and Caribbean can catch the event on ESPN while Rogers Sportsnet is the broadcast partner in Canada.

In addition to this, ESPN STAR Sports will stream the games live on its website, www.espnstar.com in the territories that are not serviced by a television broadcaster. This ensures the tournament will have a reach of more than 180 territories, including mainland Europe.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said the scope of the worldwide broadcast coverage reflected the importance of the tournament. "The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup has become an extremely popular global event that serves both as a finishing school and a platform for showcasing the talents of our future stars."

ESS MD Peter Hutton said, "We?re absolutely delighted to be showing the next generation of cricketers to a worldwide audience as part of a remarkable year of sport on our channels, and look forward to what should be an excellent tournament."

ESPN STAR Sports has also assembled a star-studded commentary team for the tournament, including fellow ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductees Ian Chappell of Australia and Pakistan?s Wasim Akram, as well as former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, ex-South Africa spinner Pat Symcox and former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison.

Broadcast schedule:

All matches will be played at the Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) and ESPN International have entered into a cricket distribution agreement for Latin America to carry top ICC events and the Champions League Twenty20 through 2015.

This will be the first time that these events will be presented in the region, ESS said.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) agreement is a four-year deal from 2012 to 2015 and covers several ICC events, including the global showpiece of the cricket calendar, the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Under the agreement, ESPN International will carry the events in English via ESPN Play (WatchESPN in Brazil), ESPN?s broadband network that offers live and on demand sports video across the region.

The upcoming cricket coverage includes the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville, Australia from August 10-25; the ICC World Twenty 20 in Sri Lanka from September 18-October 7; and the Karbonn Champions League Twenty20 in October.

The Karbonn Champions League Twenty20 agreement is a three-year deal covering 2013-2015. The event brings the best club teams from top cricket playing nations, including the West Indies, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, together in one of the major cricket competitions worldwide.

Organisers have announced that Pakistan and other nations will be added this year. The fourth edition of this marquee tournament will be held in South Africa later this year across four venues - Centurion, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town - and will feature a total of 14 teams and 29 matches.

"It is our endeavour to work along with our partners in taking the game of cricket to new markets and new audiences and we are delighted to have succeeded in securing the first ever broadcast partnerships for the ICC events and the Champions League Twenty20 in South America," said ESPN Star Sports senior VP corporate development & cricket rights Anurag Dahiya.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said, "The ICC is extremely pleased to have a committed partner in ESPN Star Sports, which has helped further extend the reach of this tournament by continually setting new standards in global distribution and coverage of cricket. I?m confident that these broadcast partnerships will grow the popularity of the game in this emerging market and assist in unlocking the undoubted potential to raise the profile of cricket to new audiences."

MUMBAI: Geoff Allardice has been appointed to the position of ICC General Manager- Cricket to succeed David Richardson, who has been promoted to ICC chief executive.

For the past decade, Geoff has worked with Cricket Australia, most recently as the ?General Manager, Cricket Operations?. Geoff played first class cricket for Victoria.

David Richardson said: "Geoff has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained during his time with Cricket Australia. I am looking forward to working with him and deploying his undoubted talent at the ICC. He is a great addition to our Team."

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council has amended its management structure which would see the creation of a new post of chairman and water down the powers of president besides scrapping the post of vice-president altogether effective 2014.

Until the end of the 2014 ICC Annual Conference, the role of the ICC President will remain in its current form but from the end of the 2014 Annual Conference it will become ceremonial in nature with a term of only one year.

The term of office of the chairman will be two years. The ICC Board will appoint the chairman at its first meeting following the 2014 Annual Conference.

Meanwhile, Alan Isaac, the former chairman of New Zealand Cricket, was inaugurated as the eighth President of the ICC in succession to Sharad Pawar. Isaac will serve for a two-year term.

David Richardson was confirmed by the Conference as successor to Haroon Lorgat, who stood down after four years, as the ICC Chief Executive. Richardson, who played 42 Tests for South Africa, has been ICC?s GM- Cricket for the last 10 years.

Additionally, Russia and Hungary were confirmed as new affiliate members of the ICC but Switzerland was removed as an affiliate member, having been suspended at the 2011 Annual Conference for failing to comply with the ICC?s membership criteria and remaining unable to do so by the 2012 Annual Conference.

There are now 106 Members of the ICC.

MUMBAI: The five day ICC Annual Conference in Kuala Lumpur will see a change of guard in the top hierarchy of the game?s world governing body with Sharad Pawar making way for New Zealand?s Alan Isaac to take charge as president.

Pawar, who completes his two-year term at the end of the week, was the second Indian after Jagmohan Dalmiya to take a shot at the post. During his tenure, he oversaw the successful organising of the 2011 ICC World Cup in the sub-continent.

The conference, which begins 24 June, will also see incumbent Haroon Lorgat stepping down as the chief executive of the ICC. Lorgat was appointed chief executive of the ICC in April 2008 succeeding Malcolm Speed, an Australian.

The ICC Annual Conference will begin with the Chief Executives? Committee (CEC) meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and ends on 28 June with the inauguration of the eighth ICC President, Alan Isaac, at the Annual Conference.

The ICC Council, at its meeting on 28 June, will be asked to approve amendments to the ICC Articles which will create the post of Chairman from June 2014 with the President?s role being ambassadorial from that date onwards, the ICC said in a statement.

David Richardson has been selected as the chief executive of ICC, his appointment requires confirmation from the CEC. Prior to being appointed as the chief executive, Richardson served ICC as GM of Cricket.

The ICC Associate and Affiliate Members meeting on 25 June will elect their three representatives to serve two-year terms on the ICC Board, the statement added.

On the agenda of the CEC meeting are recommendations from the ICC Cricket Committee which include the reaffirmation of the universal application of the Decision Review System (DRS), minor enhancements to the 50-over format and, importantly, discussions on the protection and promotion of international cricket within a changed landscape that is showing a growing number of domestic professional T20 leagues.

The ICC Board, which will meet on 26 and 27 June, will receive various reports and recommendations emanating from Board sub-committees and the CEC.

Among these will be the annual report from the chairman of ACSU, membership issues including applications for ICC Affiliate Membership from Russia and Hungary.

The Board will also continue its discussions, which have been ongoing since the last meeting among the directors and Members, on the Woolf report and further consider the strategies being developed to protect and promote all three formats of the game at the international level.

MUMBAI: Cricket Holdings America, a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket and the United States of America Cricket Association, has appointed TSE Consulting to assist with its plans to initiate a Twenty20 cricket league in North America.

TSE Consulting has been appointed to deliver the host city selection process and the development of facility specifications, together with PROS Consulting, the US-based management and planning consultancy.

An aggressive programme to identify franchise locations in major North American markets will be underway shortly, TSE said.

Cricket Holdings America Director Neil Maxwell states, "We have taken time to put all the pieces in place for a successful league that will be a lasting addition to the sports industry in North America. We look forward to announcing the cities that will host teams in the near future and the development of new cricket facilities throughout America. We are delighted to be working with TSE and PROS whose combined knowledge of host cities and facility development is the perfect fit for us."

The formation of this league is the culmination of two years of collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC), whose support has ensured that the right foundations are in place for the development of a successful league.

The focus is to combine cricket with entertainment to create a truly fan-centric experience and bolster the 50,000-strong and growing active competitor base in the US.

Currently, the only ICC-sanctioned cricket facility in the US is located in Broward County, FL, where TSE has assisted in development of a business plan for the facility. The development of new facilities and use of temporary venues are a part of the plans for growing the game and staging a League.

TSE Consulting - North America Director Dale Neuburger says, "The new league will be a great addition to the American sports landscape. Keith Wyness and the CHA team have provided the vision and expertise to support rapid growth in the popularity of cricket in North America, and TSE is honoured to have the opportunity to participate in the city identification and facility development process."