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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."
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