MUMBAI: Cricket fans in the United States will have a chance to watch the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 at no additional cost for the first time in September, after ESPN3 was confirmed by ESPN STAR Sports, ICC?s global broadcast partner, as the network in the US for the tournament.

And as a part of the build-up to the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, India legend Anil Kumble will travel to the United States this weekend for a series of events promoting the tournament being held in Sri Lanka between 18 September and 7 October 2012.

Kumble will ring the Nasdaq closing bell on Friday in New York City. On Sunday hundreds of thousands of people will take the streets for the annual India Day Parade through the city, where fans will have a chance to see the Indian legend with the ICC World Twenty20 2012 trophies on the ESPN3 float.

The annual India Day Parade, which will be held in New York by Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), is a big celebration for the India community in the United States and also includes other prominent Indian celebrities like actor Saif Ali Khan.

Kumble was thrilled to be leading the efforts to promote the sport to cricket fans in the US ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.

"Twenty20 has for long been considered a product fit for an American audience. I am therefore thrilled to be part of the first major celebration of cricket in the USA for ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012. I am also particularly excited about getting an opportunity to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ and to be part of the India Day Parade on the iconic Madison Avenue," said Kumble.

Kumble also believes live coverage of the tournament at no additional cost to fans will help spread the game to a bigger audience.

"Cricket has also always been a huge draw among the expat Indian population in the USA. So the live coverage of ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 on ESPN3 in the US will help us get our great game to a bigger and wider audience,? added Kumble.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson too was delighted at the exciting new opportunity offered by ESPN3 telecasting ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 in the United States.

"The fact that cricket fans in the United States will be able to get free-to-air coverage on ESPN3 is a significant development for the growth of cricket in this important market. There can be no one better to spread the word about the excitement and energy of cricket ? and Twenty20 cricket in particular ? than Anil Kumble. I am sure that he and all those attending the annual India Day Parade on Madison Avenue ? one of the most famous streets in New York ? will have a memorable time."

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."