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Cricket StreamingLive and delayed video streaming and edited cricket highlights are available from BBC Sport, Cricket Australia, Willow TV, CricketOn TV and the Cricinfo live video zone which plans to go live soon. This list is unlikely to be comprehensive, though there are other web sites who do claim to transmit live cricket but fail to live up to their promises. Of this list, the BBC transmissions are free, but are limited to edited highlights. For the rest, you will need to buy a “cricket pass” or “cricket ticket”, to cover a selected package of cricket events. The packages vary in content, to reflect the current international cricket fixture list. For example, a recent package showing the produced and interactive highlights of the first four Ashes tests and live coverage of the fifth test of the 2006-2007 series cost around US $20. 
Cricket Australia TV (CATV) provides live cricket streaming and cricket highlights through Channel 9. Before you consider signing up, look at the “Having problems watching the video?” link on the CATV home page. Amongst other issues, this shows that their cricket highlights are available in many countries, but live coverage is very restricted.There are also hardware and software requirements. For example, for Willow TV you will need Broadband, Internet Explorer 5.0 or above, Windows Media Player 7.1 or above, Windows 98 or later and a minimum of Pentium III, 128 Mb RAM, a 24 bit true colour card and 16 bit sound card. Willow TV do provide a test clip so you can check if your system can receive video streaming. Willow TV also provide an interactive scorecard both during and after the match. You can use this to replay your favourite match moments, or even the entire highlights. The BBC edited highlights of selected matches are available soon after the close of play. You can watch these free, simply by using the BBC Sport media player. If you decide that cricket streaming is right for you, then you can take your display options further than your PC. With the right video and audio cabling and a scan converter, you can even connect your computer to your TV screen. However, beware of the wireless options, as they are vulnerable to interference from your microwave oven. Live cricket on internet is in its infancy and has limited availability. However, there are many online cricket fans who see it as a “Holy Grail”, and aim to drive demand high enough for cricket online to rival satellite TV cricket coverage. So, watch this space!
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