Watch Pakistan Vs. ICC World XI Cricket Live Stream: Start Time, Preview, How To Watch Historic Match Online
Top-level international cricket makes a dramatic return to Pakistan for only the third time since a terror attack made the country a global cricketing outcast in 2009, when the Pakistan national team takes on an international All-Star side, the ICC World XI, in a T20 contest that will live stream from Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday. For full information on how to view the historic match online, see the streaming information at the bottom of this article.
Terrorists struck a bus carrying the Sri Lanka Test cricket team on March 3, 2009, effectively ending visits by elite international cricket rivals to Pakistan — at least until the Zimbabwe team braved a tour in May of 2015. Before the Zimbabwe visit, only “minnow” cricket nations Afghanistan and Kenya had sent teams to Pakistan since the 2009 attack.
Then on March 5 of this year, the Pakistan Super League franchise T20 tournament — which like all Pakistan home matches since 2009 was played in the United Arab Emirates — staged its championship final on Pakistani soil at the same Gaddafi Stadium that will host Tuesday’s ICC World XI showdown — a game that was deemed “a momentous occasion for Pakistan” by the country’s fast bowling legend, Wasim Akram.
Now the hopes of the cricket-crazy country are pinned on the success of the three-T20 set against a powerful international side skippered by South Africa national team Captain Faf du Plessis.
First ball in the first match of the series that has been dubbed the Independence Cup is scheduled to be bowled at 7 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, on Tuesday, September 12.
In India, that start time will be 7:30 p.m. India Standard Time, while in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the match gets underway at 3 p.m. British Summer Time. Cricket fans in the United States can log in to the live stream starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 7 a.m. Pacific.
While Pakistan will field largely the same side that stunned India to win the prestigious Champions Trophy final in England back in June, the ICC World XI collects a global assemblage of talent that should provide a formidable obstacle for the Men in Green.
Watch a preview of the historic Independence Cup series in the following video.
Captained by du Plessis, the World XI side also features his countrymen, top-order batsman Hashim Amla, fast bowler Morne Morkel and spinner Imran Tahir.
Australia contributes to the lineup with George Bailey and Tim Paine, while the West Indies send Samuel Badree and fan-favorite veteran Darren Sammy — who captained the Peshawar Zalmi side to victory in the PSL Final in Lahore just five months ago. New Zealand’s 2015 World Cup hero Grant Elliot and Bangladesh in-form opening batsman Tamim Iqbal add to the powerhouse squad.
How To Live Stream the Return of Cricket To Pakistan
A live stream of each match in the historic Independence Cup T20 series pitting the Pakistan national cricket team against a talent-packed ICC World XI squad can be accessed via the Cricket Gateway streaming service, available by clicking on this link.
Live Stream the Historic T20 Match In the U.K. and Ireland
The Pakistan vs. ICC World XI T20 cricket series will be broadcast live by Sky Sports. That means, to access an online stream, fans in the U.K. and in Ireland will need a Sky Sports subscription. Subscribers then must register for the satellite network’s Sky Go streaming service, which is free, but fans must fill out some basic information at this link to obtain a Sky Go login.
Once registration is complete, Sky Go Sports’ login page can be found at this link. Then, at last, cricket viewers can stream the match live from Gaddafi Stadium. Sky Go is also available on most mobile devices by downloading the Sky Go app. A full list of compatible devices can be found by clicking here.
Live Stream Pakistan vs. ICC World XI in the U.S.
To view the Pakistan vs. ICC World XI T20 cricket series live online for free, fans in the U.S. will need to register for a week-long trial subscription to the Sling TV international sports package, which can be accessed at this link. Credit card information will be required, and the subscription price for the package is $10 per month. However, canceling the trial before the end of the initial weeklong period puts a stop to any charges, allowing fans to watch the first Pakistan vs. ICC World XI T20 match for free, legally.
Once fans have signed up for the Sling TV package free trial, the next step is to download the Sling software (instructions on the Sling TV site at the link above) for desktop computers, as well as for a variety of mobile devices.
Sling TV is available for the Apple iOS, the Android OS, and Amazon Fire OS. The online TV service also offers a channel on several set-top boxes, including Roku, 4th Generation Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and others. For a complete list of Sling-compatible devices and operating systems, click this link.
[Featured Image by K.M. Chaudary/AP Images]
