If you've been in the US your whole life, you're probably not aware of how popular the sport of cricket is globally. Around 2.5 billion people count themselves as fans, and Thursday marks the beginning of the most important event on the calendar: the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Held every four years, the ICC Cricket World Cup brings together teams in the One Day International format for a final showdown. Ten teams qualify over a period of several months (except the host country, which gets automatic entry) and then battle each other for supremacy. This year's ICC Cricket World Cup runs from Oct. 5-Nov. 19.
Why does the World Cup last for over a month? ODI cricket matches are... long. The "One Day" in the title refers to how long it takes. Cricket games are divided into "overs," which are kind of like innings in baseball. One over is six tosses of the cricket ball to the batters, and ODI games are 50 overs long. That means a single match can last up to nine hours. But cricket fans relish it, especially when it's high-stakes competition between the best teams in the world.
The teams this year include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Last year's event was the most-watched ever, with a staggering 709 million people tuning in to at least one game. So if you're a dedicated fan or just want to see what the fuss is about, you might want to watch the Cricket World Cup at least once over the next month.
How to Watch the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Online
Here's the problem, though: not every network is going to dedicate nine hours or more a day to cricket, especially in the States. What follows is a rundown of streaming services that carry ICC Cricket World Cup games.
Australia — 9Now, Foxtel Sports, Kayo Sports
Canada — Disney+ Hotstar, WillowTV
India — Disney+ Hotstar
New Zealand — Sky Sport
Pakistan — Tapmad
South Africa — SuperSport
United Kingdom — Channel 5 (highlights), Sky Sports
United States — ESPN+, WillowTV
In the states, your options are limited to ESPN+ and WIllowTV, each of which costs $10 a month. You can also get Willow as an add-on for Sling TV.
How to Watch the ICC Cricket World Cup for Free
If money is tight, your best option is Australia's free 9Now service. 9Now isn't showing every match, but its schedule has most of the heavy hitters, all of Australia's games (of course) and the tournament finals.
Oct. 5 — England vs New Zealand
Oct. 8 — Australia vs India
Oct. 12 — Australia vs South Africa
Oct. 14 — India vs Pakistan
Oct. 16 — Australia vs Sri Lanka
Oct. 20 — Australia vs Pakistan
Oct. 21 — England vs South Africa
Oct. 22 — India vs New Zealand
Oct. 25 — Australia vs Netherlands
Oct. 28 — Australia vs New Zealand
Oct. 29 — India vs England
Nov. 4 — Australia vs England
Nov. 5 — India vs South Africa
Nov. 7 — Australia vs Afghanistan
Nov. 11 — Australia vs Bangladesh
Nov. 15 — Semi-Final 1
Nov. 16 — Semi-Final 2
Nov. 19 — Final
One caveat, though: you won't be able to access the streamer outside of the Land Down Under. It's region-locked. That's where a VPN comes in. Using a virtual private network, you'll be able to route traffic through a local server and fool 9Now into thinking you're watching from Australia. These also aren't free, but you'll be able to use them for a lot more than cricket. In addition to accessing region-locked content, you'll also protect your privacy and reduce the ability of sites to track your browsing. We're big fans of using VPN services, especially for travel. Here's a quick step-by-step to getting one going for cricket.
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ProtonVPN, but there are lots of choices)
Download the VPN app to your device. Most work with Windows, Google OS, and iOS devices, and some are even smart TV compatible.
Launch the VPN and connect to an Australian server.
Create a 9Now account.
Voila! You now have access to all of the above ICC Cricket World Cup matches.
Interested in getting started? Here's our rundown of the best VPNs for media streaming. What match are you most looking forward to in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup?
