Cricket Buzz: ICC says its video channel most viewed

The International Cricket Council's video channel got the most number of views on Facebook in the first half of this year, more than double the engagement of other global sporting federations, the body stated on Friday citing the findings of a content analysis tool.

The ICC said that the number of views on its video channel stood at 1.65 billion in the first half of 2020, which is more than any other leading sporting organisations on the platform.

The results, it said, were derived from the Facebook-owned CrowdTangle's analysis.

Over the previous 12 months, the ICC said its Facebook channel was the most engaged page in its category.

"...the single most engaged day in its history with 4.4 million interactions was (when) Bangladesh triumphed over India in the final of the Under 19 Cricket World Cup 2020."

In March, during the women's T20 World Cup in Australia, the ICC said its digital channels received a total of 1.1 billion video views, which was a 1900 per cent increase on the 2018 edition making it the most-watched ICC women's event to date.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: "The combination of one of the world's most-watched sports with one of the largest platforms is proving exciting for the growth of cricket consumption."

PCB announces financial rewards for 63 ground staff

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Friday, announced financial rewards for 63 ground staff across four cities for their 'tireless' effort during the 2020 Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The last edition of PSL, which started on February 20, was suspended after the group stage in March after the PCB revealed that a foreign player showed symptoms of the dreaded COVID-19.

"As many as 63 ground staff – across Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi – will receive a 50 per cent bonus on their salaries for the month of August. In addition, the board will also provide reward of PKR 10,000 to five non-PCB employed daily wagers," PCB said in a media release.

The PCB hosted the entire edition of the PSL in Pakistan for the first time before the playoffs and final were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The ground staff have a thankless job. Their work is of the utmost importance in smooth execution of cricket matches so it is extremely important that their work is acknowledged and they are rewarded for their efforts," PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer said.

"Our ground staff were outstanding during the HBL PSL this year especially when they were confronted with adverse weather conditions," he added.