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Reports: SKY Sports in line to retain ECB broadcast rights till 2034

Leading broadcaster Sky Sports is all set to retain the broadcasting rights of the entire English summer and key overseas international till 2034.

According to reports in the English media, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in advanced negotiations with broadcasters Sky Sports.

The current deal, which the leading sports network in the United Kingdom grabbed for a sum of 220 million pounds, is set to expire in 2024.


The multi-year deal will see Sky Sports broadcast the entire English summer, including international matches, the County Championship and 'The Hundred'.

The reports add that while the new deal will not be worth significantly more than the one signed in 2017, it is likely to be a significant boost for Sky, whose major revenue comes from England games.

According to Times, Sky will continue to share the broadcasting rights of some matches with the state-owned BBC. 

The current arrangement involves the BBC having access to four Twenty20 International matches (two apiece for men and women) and ten matches from ECB's brainchild 'The Hundred'. 

The ECB is also in talks with the County Chiefs to entice the 18 counties to hand over the broadcasting and media rights to SKY. Normally, the counties hold the rights to anything broadcasted from their ground. However, they are reportedly keen to retain the ability to sign deals with other streaming outlets like Facebook, etc.

According to the same report, ECB chief Tom Harrison is likely to leave his post in a few months, and he believes that the new broadcast deal will pave the way for the organisation's long-term stability.

 






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Dean Elgar unhappy with South Africa's batting performance in Durban

South Africa may have won the first Test of the two-match series against Bangladesh by a comprehensive margin of 220 runs, but their skipper Dean Elgar isn't happy with the batting performance of the hosts. Familiar collapses came back to hound the Proteas in Durban as Ebadot Hossain, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran through their middle and lower order in the second innings to reduce from 1-116 to 204 all-out. And while the lead proved to be more than enough, Elgar demanded more intensity from his batters moving forward. "We were lacking intensity. A lot of guys need to wake up and realise that Test cricket demands intensity. Whether you have the ball or bat in hand. Even at the start of the innings you need to be up at a certain level, whether it's being in good positions, and having good body language, or even running between the wickets - that all sets a level of intensity for your innings." said Elgar as quoted by iol.co.za. When asked if he got concerned when South Africa suffered a collapse in their second innings, the gritty opener, who scored half-centuries in both innings, said that he wasn't too perturbed as it exposed his players to the areas in which they seem to be lacking. "I wasn't too concerned. I was actually glad it happened, to expose the guys to those areas that they were lacking," There are quite a few youngsters in South Africa's batting line-up, and Elgar believes that it is the responsibility of the senior players to help them get familiar with their role. "The inexperience of players - we need to be mindful of that - we had a guy making his debut…they are not familiar with that role play. They will get there. It is important for us as senior players and the coaching staff to speak still that language about the small game plans they require for Test cricket." He signed off by stating that while the Proteas were fortunate that they had enough runs in the bank, he still wanted more intensity from his batters. South Africa rode on brilliant spells from Keshav Maharaj, who claimed 7/32, and Simon Harmer as they shot out Bangladesh for a mere 53 on the fifth morning to claim a comprehensive 220-run win and 12 valuable WTC points. The second Test will take place at Port Elizabeth from April 8.