Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video, India’s most loved entertainment hub, is bringing a high-octane cricket series between India and New Zealand, live and exclusive. The Indian women’s cricket team will face the New Zealand women’s team in a series comprising of five (5) ODIs at John Davies Oval, Queenstown in New Zealand.
Streaming exclusively on Prime Video, the ODI matches are scheduled to begin on 12th February and end on 24th February. The only T20I of the series was held on 9th February.
In November 2020, Prime Video secured exclusive live cricket rights from New Zealand Cricket board. As a part of the multi-year partnership, international men’s and women’s cricket matches played in New Zealand across all formats – will be available exclusively on Prime Video India.
To celebrate the spirit of cricket, Prime Video also unveiled an integrated campaign showcasing the exciting brand of cricket played by the Women in Blue. The campaign highlights that it is the game that is paramount, irrespective of who is playing on the ground. The only thing that matters on the pitch is the passion, earnestness and skills of the player as the cricketer represents the country, a fact that unites, binds and swells every Indian’s heart with pride.
“We received an encouraging response to the debut of live cricket on our service earlier this year, and are looking forward to giving our customers an engaging and immersive experience with every new cricket series,” said Chaitanya Divan, head of Prime Video Channels & sports, Amazon Prime Video India. “Our Women in Blue have gone from strength to strength with every tournament and I am certain that each one of us will be rooting for them as they take on the WHITE FERNS on their home turf. Women’s cricket has gained momentum not just in India but around the world, and we are thrilled to offer our viewers an exciting clash between two of the most admired teams, live and exclusive on Prime Video.”
Talking about the upcoming series, Mithali Raj, who now holds the #2 spot in ICC’s ODI batting rankings and is the captain of the Indian women’s ODI cricket team said, “I am excited to lead the team as we face the WHITE FERNS in New Zealand. While each series is equally important for us, we can feel a billion hopes riding on our shoulders with this tournament. The pressure, as always, is immense, but the team and I are confident of putting our best foot forward and delivering our best performance. I am thrilled that viewers in India will be able to cheer for us when they watch us live.”
Adding on, Sophie Devine, captain of the WHITE FERNS said, “It is always exciting to play against India. They are a worthy opponent and boast some of the finest players in the world. We are looking forward to facing them in New Zealand and expect it to be an intense series between the two teams. I am also excited with the fact that cricket fans from India can watch all the action from New Zealand in real time. Their passion and love for the sport is palpable and I am certain they will enjoy watching the series live and exclusively on Prime Video.”
Match Schedule:
|
Date |
Match Details |
Time (IST) |
|
12th February, 2022 |
NZ Women vs India Women, 1st ODI |
3.30 a.m. |
|
15th February, 2022 |
NZ Women vs India Women, 2nd ODI |
3.30 a.m. |
|
18th February, 2022 |
NZ Women vs India Women, 3rd ODI |
3.30 a.m. |
|
22nd February, 2022 |
NZ Women vs India Women, 4th ODI |
3.30 a.m. |
|
24th February, 2022 |
NZ Women vs India Women, 5th ODI |
3.30 a.m. |
Cricket lovers on Prime Video can also access a host of cricket programming and highlights, and can also watch clips of key moments from the matches on the service shortly after each match ends.
The Women in Blue are coming off a gruelling series against the Australian women’s cricket team a series that saw the countries play T20Is, ODIs and a Test match through September and October 2021. The WHITE FERNS are also coming off an extensive series against the English women’s team in a lengthy T20I and ODI series in August and September 2021. With those experiences behind them, the teams are ready to face each other with greater drive and aggression to prove their dominance as they gear up for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be held in March in New Zealand.
As Team India prepares for the series, three superstars from the Indian women’s cricket team, captain Mithali Raj, veteran batsman Smriti Mandhana, and 17-year-old-phenomenon Shafali Verma, who are gearing to play against New Zealand’s WHITE FERNS, had a fun chat with the renowned comedian, Danish Sait. Together, they spoke about their cricketing journey, the rising popularity of women’s cricket, and also shared some interesting anecdotes from their career.
To watch the matches, Prime members can go to the Prime Video app on their respective devices and will see matches shown in a carousel for Live Cricket or they can search for “New Zealand Cricket” in the search bar. They can stream these matches online through their web browser, mobile devices, internet-connected TVs, set-top-boxes, Fire TV sticks and other compatible devices.
