Blockbuster commentary panel revealed for the Ultimate Test
Former Australia star Mel Jones was excited at the prospect of calling a South Africa-Australia clash in a Test final.
'Test cricket continues to deliver some of the most captivating stories in our sport, and this WTC Final at Lord's promises to be another. South Africa and Australia both bring rich traditions and exciting talent to the pitch.
'It is a privilege to call this match from the commentary box, and I am sure fans around the world are in for an unforgettable Test.'
Jiostar will be producing a Hindi feed from their production hub in Mumbai to be aired across the Star Sports Network and JioHotstar. Commentary talent feature Anant Tyagi, Abhinav Mukund, Varun Aaron, Sanjay Banger and Aakash Chopra.
Deep Dasgupta will lead the coverage from the venue, anchoring the pre- and post-match presentations while also contributing to live match analysis and commentary. His presence on-ground brings viewers closer to the action on and off the field.
With Sunset+Vine as production services partner and NEP as equipment services partner, the ICC TV's production will feature a minimum of 48 cameras, complemented by an array of analytical tools and visual enhancements to elevate the broadcast experience.
High-speed fixed cameras, Spidercam, and Batcam will be among the range of specialty cameras to be deployed for the coverage. The High-speed fixed cameras from BBG Sports, will capture the pivotal moments of cricketing action in detail, Spidercam will deliver its iconic aerial coverage, whereas Batcam will give a sweeping aerial view via drone and ground-level visuals with a roving buggy cam, thus enhancing the viewing experience.
To help with accurate and efficient decision-making by match officials, the Decision Review System (DRS) will be in place, along with Hawk-Eye's Smart Replay system. Hawk-Eye will also provide Piero graphics, adding deeper tactical insights and analysis.
On-air graphics will be delivered by AE Live, with in-depth cricket data and analytics from CricViz enhancing the broadcast storytelling with key statistics and insights.
To illustrate fielding positions and strategies in real time, Quidich Innovation Labs will provide the Field Plot and Field 360° virtual field model.
Beyond live match coverage, ICC TV will also produce a wide range of non-live content, including daily player profiles, team features, match-day previews, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content, giving fans an all-access look at the stories unfolding on and off the field.
These will be available on the ICC social channels and the official website, icc-cricket.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Cricket Council
3 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Vettori: Australia not giving up hope
Daniel Vettori insists Australia have not given up hope of retaining their ICC World Test Championship 2025 crown after South Africa finished the third day at Lord's in a commanding position. The Proteas, who finished on 213 for two, closed to within 69 runs of victory thanks to a superb unbeaten hundred from opener Aiden Markram after Australia had earlier set a target of 282 runs for victory. Markram, alongside captain Temba Bavuma (65 not out), put on an unbroken stand of 143 for the third wicket which broke the back of what would be the joint second-highest successful run chase at the Home of Cricket. And although Australia now face an uphill challenge on day four, Vettori knows the players will take their attempted fightback one step at a time and not look too far ahead into the future. 'There's no desire to get ahead of ourselves,' the assistant coach said. 'One wicket, that's the starting point. And because these two [Markram and Bavuma] are in such control, if we can get a new batsman to the crease, then that's the start of it [getting back into the game]. 'I don't think there will be any thinking about how to get eight dismissals. It will be simply about getting one and seeing what can happen from there.' Pat Cummins' side started the day on 144 for eight and appeared to have gained the upper hand thanks to Mitchell Starc's gritty half-century – his 11th in the format - having been dropped by Marco Jansen on 14 the previous evening. The fast bowler then took the two South African wickets to fall, having Ryan Rickelton caught behind for six before seeing the back of Wiaan Mulder – caught in the covers by Marnus Labuschagne for 27 – after a half-century second-wicket stand with Markram. At 70 for two, the game was evenly poised, but the exploits of Markram and Bavuma slowly swung the pendulum in the Proteas' favour and Vettori was quick to acknowledge the importance of their efforts. 'Under those conditions, Markram and Bavuma were exceptional,' he continued. 'They were able to navigate their way through any tricky situation and then be able to put pressure back on us at the most opportune time. 'It was a pretty benign wicket and obviously conditions weren't assisting the ball, but that partnership was exceptional.' Steve Smith left the field of play during South Africa's innings with what turned out to be a compound dislocation of the little finger on his right hand after dropping Bavuma in the slips off Starc's bowling while the batter was on two. 'He never made it to us in the dressing room,' he added. 'I think the doc and the physio got a hold of him and took him to a separate room, so they had to deal with that. 'We weren't really up to speed in terms of how gruesome the injury was. We just heard there had been a compound dislocation, something of that nature. 'There weren't too many people running to have a look. We'll just wait and see what the news is when he comes back from hospital and then everyone will be updated from there.' ENDS
Int'l Cricket Council
10 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
On the backfoot, Australia keep focus on winning WTC Final
At 70/2 in the second session of the third day of the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, Australia seemed to have advantage on a surface that had done quite a bit over the first two days of the Test. However, as the pitch kept offering more to the batters, Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma showed exceptional resolve to help the Proteas within reach of a historic win. With the African side needing merely 69 runs with eight wickets in hand going into Day 4, Australia understand that they are on the backfoot, but take confidence from the fact that they've aced similar challenges in the past. Markram, Bavuma guide SA within touching distance of glory | Day 3 Highlights | WTC25 Final After bundling out Australia in the first session, South Africa finish Day 3 only 69 runs away from a historic triumph with eight wickets in hand. 'We understand the main task, 8/70 [69] is incredibly tricky, and conditions wouldn't have to go our way, but I think with the nature of where the ball is at and the surface, it's a difficult task,' Vettori told reporters after the day's play. Whether it be the Ashes Test at Edgbaston in 2023, where Australia took a target of 281 after having been 227/8 or the famous ICC Men's Cricket World Cup heist in Mumbai, where they chased down Afghanistan's massive total after having been 91/7 at one stage, the Australians have shown immense skill when faced with adversity, and Vettori hoped the same could stand out tomorrow too. 'But it is a task that the group has probably done at times throughout the last three or four, and for some of them, even longer six or seven years,' the recently inducted ICC Hall of Famer continued. Aiden Markram powers his way to a majestic ton | Sobha POTD, Day 3 | WTC25 Final 130625 - Aiden Markram - POTD (2025-06-13 17:16:36Z) Having said the same, Vettori went on to appreciate Markram and Bavuma's application, stating that the duo made most of the conditions on Day 3 at Lord's. 'The wicket is slow. And you would've seen over the course of the game, that the boundaries are probably lower than what we would've expected than previous Test matches here. So it is difficult scoring here, but South Africa made the most of those [improved] conditions here," he added. 'Exceptional partnership. Navigated any tricky times, and then managed to put pressure back on us, through their running, their ability to dissect the field. 'It was a real clinic from those two.' Temba Bavuma plays a picture-perfect straight drive | Sobha POTD, Day 3 | WTC25 Final While South Africa will be pleased with their outing, the Proteas have had a history of heartbreaks close to the finish line, best exemplified in the 1999 Cricket World Cup semi-final, where they missed out on a berth to the final after tying with Australia, and more recently against India at last year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where the side failed to win the final after needing just run-a-ball from their final five overs. However, Vettori assured that Australia weren't taking this South African group for granted, and would look to keep their focus on one wicket at a time. 'It is always difficult to label or tag teams, because teams change. And with change of personnel, it is difficult to assign to a group that hasn't been in this situation in terms of World Test Championship Final," Vettori added. 'I think the hope for us is that we get a wicket or two in the morning, and then see what it looks like. That's the main challenge for us.' Starc claims Mulder to produce another breakthrough | WTC25 Final Mitchell Starc rises to the occasion once again for Australia to break the second-wicket partnership as he removed Wiaan Mulder. Having found success in the first innings, Australia tried to stick to the same lengths on Day 3, but found little success. When asked if the bowlers could've tried something different like cutters or yorkers, Vettori responded that the team decided to work on what worked best for them, and avoided adventurous bowling in order to prevent South Africa from running away with the game. 'Someone like Mitch Starc, he does that naturally, in his ability to change his lengths. Potentially swing the ball both ways," Vettori noted. 'There is sometimes an appetite for that, but there is a concern for score running away from us. Sometimes when you go for short ball stuff, it is difficult to control the scoreboard. '[We believed that ] if we could hang on in those areas, something would happen, like in rest of the Test but it wasn't to be.' The Ultimate Test draws closer to an exciting finish as South Africa and Australia will battle it out yet again on Day 4 at Lord's on Saturday, 14 June.
Int'l Cricket Council
10 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Markram and Bavuma seize control for South Africa
Aiden Markram's superb century and 65 not out from Temba Bavuma helped South Africa seize control of the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 and close in on a place in the history books. In pursuit of 282, which currently stands as the second highest successful fourth innings chase in a Test at Lord's, an unbroken third-wicket stand of 143 took the Proteas to the close on 213 for two, requiring a further 69 to be crowned champions. Australia had earlier looked to hold the upper hand after Mitchell Starc's gritty half-century extended their overnight lead, while the seamer later took the two South African wickets to fall. But Markram, who will resume on 102, and Bavuma, dropped on two by Steve Smith, played brilliantly to raise South African hopes of a first ICC trophy since 1998. The Proteas began the day needing to take the final two Australian wickets quickly and the first was not long in coming, Kagiso Rabada trapping Nathan Lyon lbw in the third over of the morning. But it was a tale of frustration for the fielding side thereafter as Starc and Josh Hazlewood dug in. Starc, dropped on 14 by Marco Jansen late the previous evening, repelled a flurry of short balls and soaked up pressure effectively with the field spread far and wide. He took advantage of any loose deliveries, too, with five boundaries helping him to an 11th Test half-century as Australia's final pair carried them to the brink of the lunch break. The innings was eventually brought to a close when Hazlewood drove Markram to Keshav Maharaj at cover, leaving Starc unbeaten on 58 and ensuring South Africa would require 282 to be crowned champions. Only West Indies in 1984 have chased more to win a Test on this ground and the Proteas' start was inauspicious. As in the first innings, it was Starc who made the early breakthrough as Ryan Rickelton was tempted into a loose waft outside off stump and edged behind. Markram and Wiaan Mulder settled any nerves in a confident second-wicket stand, taking their side past 50 in the 13th over and playing with an ambition lacking in the Proteas' first innings. Markram survived a heart-in-mouth moment on 23, nicking a Cummins delivery between 'keeper and first slip, but there was no such luck for Mulder when he chipped Starc to cover, where Marnus Labuschagne took a routine catch. In came captain Bavuma, who was soon straightened up by a short Starc delivery when he had just two runs to his name. But Smith, close in under a helmet at second slip due to the number of edges that have not carried in this match so far, was unable to hold on to the chance and dislocated his finger in the process, forcing his removal from the field. South Africa's captain made the most of his let-off. He looked in discomfort almost throughout, a hamstring injury troubling him, but played a string of crisp drives in an accomplished partnership with Markram, who himself passed a 69-ball half century. The opener grew in stature as his innings progressed, bisecting two boundary riders on the off-side with a beautiful cut off Starc shortly after his side has passed the halfway mark in their chase, as South Africa continued on a serene path entirely out of keeping with the frantic first three innings of the Final. Bavuma offered a half chance with a slog sweep off Lyon which landed just in front of onrushing substitute fielder Sam Konstas, the ball trickling to the boundary to add insult to injury, and brought up his 83-ball half century shortly afterwards to rapturous applause. The volume increased yet further in the penultimate over of the day as Markram reached three figures in style. The opener, who spent 23 balls in the 90s, whipped Hazlewood to the mid-wicket boundary to bring up a terrific ton and will now have his sights set on seeing the job through in the morning. Scores in brief Australia v South Africa – ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, Lord's – Day Three Australia 212 all out in 56.4 overs (Beau Webster 72, Steve Smith 66; Kagiso Rabada 5/51, Marco Jansen 3/49) and 207 in 65 overs (Mitchell Starc 58 not out, Alex Carey 43; Kagiso Rabada 4/59, Lungi Ngidi 3/38) South Africa 138 all out in 57.1 overs (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36; Pat Cummins 6/28, Mitchell Starc 2/41) and 213/2 in 56 overs (Aiden Markram 102 not out, Temba Bavuma 65 not out; Mitchell Starc 2/53) South Africa require 69 more runs to win with eight wickets remaining ENDS
