There had been doubts over the staging of the games following the termination of the contract between the BCCI and Zee TV. However, the ICU has been formally contacted by the BCCI informing them that Nimbus have stepped in to broadcast the Series of games.
The ICU met this morning to discuss the events of the past two days, to determine if the event was still commercially viable, given that they were forced to take ticket sales off-line during the period of uncertainty. The fact that crucial deadlines were missed for both weekly and monthly publications was taken into consideration, particularly with the games just 3 weeks away. Despite these concerns, the ICU concluded that they were happy to proceed with the games for two primary reasons. These were the valuable playing opportunities that the ODI's against India and South Africa would bring to the Ireland team, and secondly the world wide exposure that the games would enjoy, helping to further increase the profile of Irish cricket following their successful World Cup campaign.
The Union has carried out an assessment of the implications of being off-sales for the past 60 hours, and in particular, the number of seats and marquees required. A revised, realistic assessment has been agreed, and the Union will embark on a significant PR, Marketing and advertising campaign over the next 3 weeks.
ICU Chief Executive Warren Deutrom said, "I would ask that the Irish cricket community, both North and South, really support these games, and get behind this initiative. Some of the greatest players in the world will be on show, and it's a wonderful opportunity for the cricketing public in Ireland, and beyond, to see these stars in action. It is in the interests of all the cricketing family in Ireland that this event is a success."
The full schedule of games is as follows:
- Ireland v India (June 23)
- Ireland v South Africa (June 24)
- India v South Africa (June 26)
- India v South Africa (June 29)
- India v South Africa (July 1)
Ticket details are available on the Irish Cricket Union website www.irishcricket.org and from Heather Johnson, 62 Balmoral Avenue, BELFAST, BT9 6NY. Tel No; 028 -90662310 or 028-90201361 (Prefix 0044 if calling from the ROI or abroad)
