Big year in store for armchair cricket fans in New Zealand

New Zealand cricket fans could be in for a bonanza of viewing this year as SKY Television lines up its busiest year yet.

New Zealand's games in Sri Lanka's Coca-Cola Cup starting next Wednesday will be screened live here while the three-Test series and three One-Day Internationals against Pakistan in September and October will also be screened live.

The series of three Tests and the Australia-South Africa-New Zealand tri-series will be screened, as usual, in November, December and January.

But the big bonus for cricket coverage is that nine rounds of the domestic one day competition, previously the Shell Cup, could be screened throughout January.

The Bangladesh and England tours will be screened in fully while women's cricket will also have a slice of the cake.

Last year's CricInfo Women's World Cup final when New Zealand beat Australia in the last over was the highest ranking sports event for a December that SKY has had.

In order to maintain a connection with the women's game, the three-match series of One-Day Internationals between Australia and New Zealand will be screened in March next year.

The games are to be played at Lincoln University, the venue for the World Cup, and there is a chance that one match, possibly the third, will be played at Jade Stadium under lights.

There is also the chance that live coverage will be provided of New Zealand's end of season tour to the West Indies. Negotiations are continuing on achieving that.

SKY Sport's channel manager Jeremy Hill said: "We are investigating coverage from the West Indies, we would love to have that."

He confirmed that negotiations were continuing with a free-to-air partner for cricket coverage this year.

TV3 had free-to-air access last summer but its deal was for only one year with SKY.