Story [C2005] D.C.C.C Championship

The D.C.C.C, or Developing Countries Cricket Council, announced today that their first cricket championship will take place between Thursday, March 2, 2006 and Tuesday, March 21, 2006.

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board, long term supporters of the D.C.C.C ever since it helped them to become achieve test match status many years ago, have agreed to allow the matches to be played in their country.

The D.C.C.C Championship consists of seven teams: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United States of America and Zimbabwe. The championship begins with Bangladesh, Canada, United States of America and Zimbabwe battling it out in a fierce group stage, each playing each other once. The team that is top of the table after all the matches have been played will go on to play the top three teams in the LG ICC ODI rankings table: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series will give the developing countries their first taste of Twenty20 Cricket.

More will be announced in a Press Release on Sunday, February 26, 2006.

Can't wait for this championship to get underway. I'm sure it will be top quality.

The Bangladeshi, Canadian, American and Zimbabwean teams have arrived in Kandy, Sri Lanka, for a press conference. There D.C.C.C president Aravinda Da Silva announced the fixtures and format for the championship. All of the matches will be played at Kandy.


The championship is Twenty20, so more than one match can be played on the same ground on the same day.

The battle over the television rights for this exciting championship is hotting up. British broadcasters BSkyB have ruled themselves out, after clinching a deal last week to show India v England instead. Asian channel Ten Sports are currently favourites to clinch the deal for the group stage, while the finals are not yet decided.

Edit: Chris Gayle

Brilliant and really quite an original idea for a story, a very promising start already. Good luck

Asian television channel Ten Sports have been awarded the rights to broadcast the D.C.C.C Championship group stage after its tycoon owner Abdul Rahman Bukhatir layed a whopping $6,000,000 on the table- the highest ever for a series not showing more than two big guns.

Abdul Rahman Bukhatir said:

We think that the developing countries deserve some publicity on their quest to test status, like our country have got.

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The deal means that Ten Sports will show United States of America v Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe v Bangladesh.

The television rights for the finals are yet to be decided.

I'm loving it so far Lee. Keep it up. Too bad BSkyB arn't televising the championship.
Maybe they have a chance for the finals perhaps?

No UAE?

Former England captain and more importantly BSkyB commentator Nasser Hussain has been spotted by a Sri Lankan journalist at an unknown function in Kandy.



He was reported to have been talking to two Asian gentlemen, and he left quickly, presumably to make sure that nobody saw him.

The sighting come after the news that Asian channel Ten Sports stole the television rights for the group stage of the D.C.C.C Championship, with a $6,000,000 deal.

So what is a Sky Sports commentator doing in the city? Who are those two Asian gentlemen? What was the function about? Reporters are apparently scouring every hotel in Kandy for clues.

Edit: Chris Gayle

BSkyB Press Conference​

British television company BSkyB announced at a Press Conference in Kandy today that they have agreed a ?10,000,000 deal with the D.C.C.C. to broadcast the finals of the Cricket Championship.

It was orginally believed that the first final between the winners of the group stage and New Zealand would be broadcast by Sky Sport New Zealand, the second final between the winners of the group stage and South Africa broadcast by ESPN and the third final between the winners of the group stage and Australia broadcast by Channel Nine Network, but doubts over that were raised earlier today when BSkyB commentator Nasser Hussain was seen at a function in Kandy.

Aravinda Da Silva said:

"Now that the television rights have been sorted out with Ten Sports and Sky Sports respectively, the fans can now concentrate on the thrilling cricket that they will see over the next two weeks."

"The thoughts that Sky Sport New Zealand, ESPN and Channel Nine Network would broadcast the finals was meer talk. We had been in talk with a representative from BSkyB for some time."

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I knew BSkyB would get the rights.
You never know, Nassar Hussian could've been dealing drugs with those 2 Asian dudes.

Zimbabwe captain Terry Duffin has praised the D.C.C.C. for their professionalism and respect that they have shown towards minor cricketing countries like his.
The 23 year old says that the publicity for the Cricket Championship has been supreme and it would help countries like Canada and the United States of America to gain test status one day.
"I was very excited when Zimbabwe got test status and I wished that one day I would play for my country,"
",It was a dream come true when I made my debut but then my attention went onto actually winning a tournament. On past encouters I would say that it's a battle between us and Bangladesh to finish top of the group and go to play the big guns."

Elsewhere, the D.C.C.C. has announced that official stumps and kits will be used in the tournament. President Aravinda Da Silva said that all but the New Zealand, South Africa and Australia kits would have the Championship logo on them and that people can expect a suprise with the radical new design of the Zimbabwe kit, due to be launched on Thursday morning before the game against the United States of America.

Lee you are doing a fine job.
I certainly love the way you have presented the story so far. I like your idea of having the logo at the top of each championship related post. Maybe if you could do some more formatting on your text (eg the use of italics and bolds) would be an added bonus.
I sorta had a vision that BSkyB would get the rights because you were talking about BSkyB on Messenger lol. Very nice work there.
It was also hilarious how Nassir Hussain was involved in some 'dirty business!'
Keep it up mate.