ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Following Soars To Record Levels Online #cwc15

ICC announces ground-breaking online figures with interest soaring in #cwc15 right across the globe
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 now moves towards the knock-out stages, and the magnificent cricket on the pitch during the Pool stages has been matched with remarkable levels of interest in the tournament across all online channels from right around the world.

On the official tournament website, traffic levels have grown over 1,500% since the last major ICC event and there have been over 26 million Unique Visitors to the website since the beginning of the tournament. These visitors have made up over 225 million Page views.

Of particular interest has been the brand new ICC Cricket World Cup Match Centre. The Match Centre, powered by SAP’s HANA and Analytics tool, has the fastest live scores available online and now offers real time statistics and insights using live and historical ICC Cricket World Cup data to deliver in-depth match analysis to fans around the world.

The video clips of match action from the tournament itself have been hugely popular with fans from over 200 countries watching back on the best moments from on the pitch, with over 24 million Video plays combined across website and App.

On Social Media there has been more interest than ever seen before for a global cricket event as people in their millions interact with the tournament. Fans have been able to get closer to the action with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. There has been the exclusive post-match Player of the Match Twitter Mirror selfies, the opportunity to ask the winning captain a question via the Global Broadcast using #AskCaptain. Fans have also used the Google + Facepaint feature to show their colours on the Big-Screens of all the ground and over on Facebook Millions have watched the latest episodes of #CWCDaily.

On Twitter, the discussion around #cwc15 has also been very large, with over 8 million tweets sent around the tournament with over 800 Million live tweet impressions from the group stages. This comprises a 250% growth in the conversation around #cwc15. The tournament’s match hashtags have also regularly trended on both Twitter and Google +.

Globally on Facebook, 36 million people have generated 341 million interactions with cricket becoming a regularly trending topic throughout February and March.

The official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App which the ICC launched in partnership with Reliance Communications, has also seen unparalleled success for a cricket App reaching over 3.35 million downloads. It has topped the charts as the Number 1 downloaded sports App in 48 countries.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Hosted by Australia and NZ. Matches at the MCG. Sth Africa batting India fielding, photo credit Rhondda
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rhonddal/16445973990/in/photolist-r4gV6G-rkK5Qy-4U7d3S-9B8T14-9vdHEv-rjwDE3-r34AVy-qnBrQ3-r1g7xM-rjzvve-r34Ch1-qnAQsj-rhhQpo-rjutyV-qnPBt6-r34xHG-rhhTDE-rjtWTg-qnAWDN-r3aN54-r33gzE-r33obW-qnBjg5-rhhKm7-r3aoST-qnAZwm-rjuuNi-rjuqFk-r34DT7-9od6K5-qnB8qh-rju7pR-rjwuGd-9vmHbr-9vmH2Z-9vpHzq-9vpHJ3-9vmGTR-rjAAwV-qnQ8dB-rjuRRk-rjuNPt-rhitNb-9uGCKU-qp2VTH-r2tVND-r4o8KB-r4g5pS-rkGPKr-r4o8BF

The App, which is available for free download via the Google Play and Apple App Stores, has received rave reviews with the ICC CWC Match Centre, in-match clips, fixtures, exclusive videos, real-time statistical updates and more being enjoyed worldwide.

The Official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App is available free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch or at: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=956440606&mt=8

The Official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App is available free from the Google Play Store on All Android Devices or at; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pl.cwc_2015

For More on ICC Digital please visit the Official ICC and ICC CWC 2015 digital and social channels:

Website: http://www.icc-cricket.com
App: ‘ICC Cricket World Cup 2015’ on iOS and Android
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ICC & http://www.facebook.com/CricketWorldCup
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ICC & http://www.twitter.com/CricketWorldCup
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ICC & http://www.instagram.com/CricketWorldCup
Google+: http://www.google.com/+ICC & http://www.google.com/+CricketWorldCup
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ICC

Mooney And Sammy Found Guilty Of Level 1 Offences In ICC Cricket World Cup Match #cwc15

West Indies batsman Darren Sammy Sharma and Ireland bowler John Mooney have both been fined 30 per cent of their match fees for violating Level 1 Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International match” following Ireland’s four-wicket victory in Nelson on Monday.

Both offences happened in separate incidents in the first innings when Sammy was heard on television screens using inappropriate words after playing a shot in the 34th over, while in the second instance Mooney swore several times when a fielder dropped a catch in the 45th over.

Both players admitted the offences and accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad, of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. As such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee.

David Richardson Believes ICC Cricket World Cup Will Cement ODI Game’s Standing #cwc15

ICC Chief Executive reflects on his own ICC Cricket World Cup experiences

Broadcast quality interview available here for free download and editorial use

Ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 1992, the ICC Chief Executive David Richardson has outlined his favourite ICC Cricket World Cup memories and his hopes for the competition, which starts on February 14.

Mr Richardson, who was a member of the South Africa side that reached the semi-finals in that tournament, has also worked at the last three tournaments in the role of ICC General Manager – Cricket, and this will be the first tournament in which he will be Chief Executive of the ICC.

And speaking on the eve of the 11th instalment of the World Cup, he believes that the state of the 50-over game is in a strong position globally.

“ODI cricket is strong in a number of countries. We’ve just seen a series recently in South Africa where there were full houses and you get good crowds in India and in most parts of the world,” Mr Richardson said.

David Richardson, photo credit icc.cricket.com

“I still think that ODI cricket is the perfect bridge between Test cricket, the long traditional form of the game, and the short, entertainment-filled T20. The 50-over game is a marvellous day’s entertainment. With the current ODI regulations encouraging a very attacking approach, be it towards batting, bowling or captaincy, I think that this World Cup will help cement the ODI’s place for the future.”

On how Mr Richardson would like the tournament to be remembered, he added: “For good cricket, as major events are defined by the quality and competitiveness of cricket.”
-ENDS-

Tendulkar Announced As ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced Sachin Tendulkar as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador. It will be the second successive time that the India maestro will be the Ambassador of ICC’s pinnacle tournament, after he fulfilled the role in the previous event, which was co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in 2011.

In his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March.

Tendulkar retired from international cricket last year after representing his country in 200 Tests, 463 One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 International. In a career spanning 24 years, the 41-year-old scored a total of 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries.

Tendulkar added the missing World Cup title to his long list of achievements in his sixth attempt in 2011. He is the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 45 matches at an average of 56.95. For his 673 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament as India finished runner-up to Australia.

Commenting on his appointment, Tendulkar said: “I am delighted and honoured to be appointed ICC Cricket World Cup Ambassador for the second successive time.

“After playing in the last six editions, the upcoming World Cup will be a different experience as I will follow it from the sidelines. It could probably be comparable to the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987 where I was a ball boy, enthusiastically cheering every ball.

“The excitement of the World Cup grows with every new edition and this year’s host nations, Australia and New Zealand, are known for their sporting culture, great cricket facilities and knowledgeable crowds. Lifting the World Cup is every international cricketer’s quest and the tournament brings out the best of individuals and competing teams.

Sachin Tendulkar

“The image of the champion team lifting the World Cup inspires many youngsters around the world and gives them a dream to chase – a dream which I fulfilled after 22 years of relentless pursuit by being part of the victorious Indian team in 2011.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC is delighted to once again have Sachin as an Ambassador for its biggest and most prestigious tournament. Sachin is not only an inspiration to cricketers but to all sportspeople for his endurance, perseverance, talent, personality and commitment to the game.”

The 11th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off in Christchurch on 14 February when co-host New Zealand take on former champion Sri Lanka. On the same day at the picturesque Melbourne Cricket Ground, four-time world champion Australia will square-off against England, which reached the final the last time the event was staged in Australia/New Zealand in 1992.

A total of 49 matches will be played across 14 venues, seven in New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington) and seven in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).

The format of the tournament is the same as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, i.e. two groups of seven sides each, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. All the knock-out stage matches will have reserve days.

Apart from the 10 Full Members, four qualifiers – Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates – will take part in the tournament.

The official tournament hashtag is #cwc15