The International Cricket Council (ICC), cricket’s apex governing body, has announced the broadcast and digital distribution plans for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final being played between India and New Zealand from June 18 to 22, in Southampton, England.

The coverage will provide global cricket fans with wide-ranging access to the match on television, digital and radio, an official statement from ICC said yesterday.

The TV broadcast plans are headlined by long-term partner Star Sports, broadcasting in five languages in India (Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada).

Indian fans will also be able to watch video clips on Facebook. Additionally, to maximise reach, the ICC has agreed deals with leading global broadcasters, including Sky Sports in New Zealand, Fox Sports in Australia, Supersport in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Sky Sports in the UK. Fans in the US have an array of options, via Hotstar, ESPN+ and Willow TV.

In a service to fans in markets where the ICC does not have a broadcast partner for this event, the match will be streamed live on the new ICC.tv platform. Fans can register to watch the match for free on the website www.icc.tv or download the app in the App Store and Google Play store.

This service will be available in all territories where the ICC does not have a broadcast partner for this event.

ICC TV Production: ICC TV will produce the live coverage of the championship, which will see 34 cameras and best-in-class enhancements of the match broadcast.

ICC TV will also provide a fully produced match day programme, which will allow broadcasters to transmit the matches without the need for a unilateral presentation set-up.

In addition to the live match coverage, ICC TV will also produce a 30-minute pre-match day build-up, lunch and tea interval shows and a post-match day wrap-up show.

The WTC Final 2021 Commentary Panel: The commentary panel for the inaugural ICC WTC Final will include stalwarts of the game, experienced broadcasters, and fresh, young voices, ICC said.

Experienced broadcasters Nasser Hussain, Simon Doull, Isa Guha, Ian Bishop and Michael Atherton will join ICC Hall of Famers and Test match legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kumar Sangakkara.

Bringing fresh perspective on the two finalists will be former New Zealand player-turned-batting coach Craig McMillan and India’s Dinesh Karthik.

Commenting on inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final, Dinesh Karthik said: “The inaugural WTC Final is the much-anticipated pinnacle event in Test cricket, and I am looking forward to an exciting match between India and New Zealand. There is so much at stake here, both teams look evenly matched and what makes it even more interesting is that they are going to be playing at a neutral venue. It’s an honour to work as a broadcaster on this historic event.”

Craig McMillan added: “The inaugural World Test Championship is an exciting platform for giving that much-needed context to Test cricket. Teams around the world have worked hard through the last two years to earn their place in the WTC Final. Both India and New Zealand deserve to be here. I am excited to be calling the game with some of the best in the business and watching some classic Test cricket.”

According to Isa Guha, who’s quite popular in India as a commentator having been on the IPL circuit for several years now,  “A contest between two evenly poised teams, at an event which is one of its kind – the inaugural Men’s World Test Championship Final promises to be a classic. It is also the first ever time that we will have a champion in the Test cricket format. I am eagerly looking forward to calling this game.”