Cricket, as it goes around the world, is a big deal. And there's no bigger deal in cricket right now than the ICC World Test Championship, the pinnacle of which we have reached as New Zealand faces India from One 18-22, after almost two years of competition among the top nine teams int he world.
The finale takes place at Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, England. And it'll be easier to watch than ever before.
“With an ever-growing fan base, the U.S. is a significant platform for the growth of cricket, and the ICC is pleased to partner with ESPN and Hotstar, allowing for extended coverage of the ICC World Test Championship,” Sunil Manoharan, Vice President Media Rights, International Cricket Council, said in a press release. “We are delighted that this collaboration will see the debut of an ICC event on ESPN+, in addition to Hotstar and ESPNCricinfo.com.”
Coverage on traditional ESPN channels will include in-progress and post-match highlights.
After this championship series, the teams won't have long to rest up. The second ICC World Test Championship is scheduled to start in July 2021, with the next championship set for June 2023.
But for now, here's everything you need to know about India and New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship:
How to watch the ICC World Test Championship in the United States
If you're in the United States and want to watch the ICC World Test Championship, you've got a couple great options.
The easiest will be to watch the ICC World Test Championship via ESPN+. That's the streaming network from the eponymous sports network that has all kinds of live sports. All of them, really. If you've been using ESPN+ to watch live sports like soccer or football or basketball or baseball or UFC, you're good to go. Just tune in starting June 18 and get your ICC on.
In addition to the ICC World Test Championship, ESPN+ also has multi-year agreements to stream New Zealand Cricket and Cricket West Indies matches.
ESPN+ costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year if you subscribe to it on its own. But you really should consider getting ESPN+ as part of the epic Disney Bundle, which gets you ESPN+, Disney+, and a basic subscription to Hulu for just $13.99 a month. That's essentially like getting all three services for the price of two.
Even better would be if you were to throw Hulu With Live TV into the mix, however. You can get that combination for $72 a month — just $7 a month more than if you were to get Hulu With Live TV on its own.
- How to watch ESPN+ on your TV
- Does ESPN+ offer a free trial?
- How to watch ESPN+ on Roku
- How to watch ESPN+ on a Vizio TV
- Does ESPN+ work with Chromecast?
The ICC World Test Championship also will be available on Hotstar, the streaming service that's dedicated to Indian content. Outside of the United States, Hotstar is available as part of Disney+. But in the U.S., you can get a Hotstar subscription separately for $49.99 a year. Along with all the cricket you'll get the best shows and movies straight from India.
How to watch the ICC World Championship in the UK
If you're looking to watch the ICC World Championship from inside the UK, Sky Sports is going to be the way to go.
Things get underway at 11 a.m. local time.
How to watch India vs. New Zealand from anywhere else in the world
If none of the above tickles your fancy, you also should be able to watch the ICC World Test Championship matches between India and New Zealand directly from the ICC Cricket webpage.
That may vary somewhat depending on where you live, however. But you also can't beat free.
