Liam Plunkett calls for free-to-air platform for World Cup final

The England allrounder wants as many people as possible to see the "special" team that he believes England have built over the years

plunkett_040701

England allrounder Liam Plunkett has called for the World Cup final to be screened on a free-to-air platform because his side want as many people to watch the tournament as possible. 

Eoin Morgan's men secured a semi-final place at the World Cup for the first time since 1992 with a commanding 119-run victory over New Zealand on Wednesday.

However, the tournament has been exclusively televised by Sky Sports and fears that the tournament has yet to capture the imagination of the public were exacerbated by the news that 11.7m viewers watched the England's defeat to the United States in the FIFA Women's World Cup on BBC One, eclipsing any viewing figures for the men's cricket equivalent so far.

Asked if he would like to see the World Cup final on free-to-air, Plunkett told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm not sure it's going to happen but for the guys, you want as many people to watch it as possible.

eng_040701

England could reach the final on July 14

"Playing for England you're the pride of the country and you want people to be able to access that and watch that. It's always nice to be on a bigger platform.

"We feel we've built something special here as a team. It would be nice to go all the way and to have big numbers watching that final if we get through – that would be huge."

Last month, the chief executive of the ICC, David Richardson, confirmed that talks were underway to broadcast the final on free-to-air television in the UK.

The World Cup final is due to take place on July 14 at Lord's.

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk

 

Comments

LATEST NEWS

STAY UP TO DATE Sign up to our newsletter...
SIGN UP

Thank You! Thank you for subscribing!

Edinburgh House, 170 Kennington Lane, London, SE115DP

website@thecricketer.com

Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.