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That’s all from World Cricket Connects 2024.

A phenomenally insightful afternoon full of fascinating conversations surrounding the game of cricket, its current state and the future direction of the game.

A huge thank you to all of our panellists and speakers who all provided unique and personal insights.

Keep an eye on our website and social media channels over the coming days for plenty more photos and video content from those in attendance.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Ben Stokes and Meg Lanning look at cricket's future from a player's perspective, and how the game can continue to grow across the world. 

How can cricket continue to grow? 🤔

🗣@satyanadella, @benstokes38 and @meglanning discuss further 👇#LoveLords | #WorldCricketConnects pic.twitter.com/8rw2YTSzU3

— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 5, 2024

We're back underway here at Connects and the final segment of the day is 'It's A Players' World' and Mark Nicholas is interviewing two legends of the game, Kumar Sangakkara and Brendon McCullum.

Choices have never been greater for modern players, and the pressures too that come with this. How are they prioritising the management of their careers? What does the future hold? 

And that's us wrapped for the third segment of World Cricket Connects. Our fourth and final section, 'It's A Players' World' is coming up after a short break. 

For that, we'll be joined by a star studded cast consisting of speakers Brendon McCullum and Kumar Sangakkara and a panel of Heather Knight, Jos Buttler, Kevin Pietersen and Lisa Sthalekar. 

Brillaint to host both Jhulan Goswami and Lisa Sthalekar as part of our World Cricket Connects event today.

Two cricket souls, one legendary backdrop. Lord's, where friendships are as timeless as the game itself 🏏✨@sthalekar93 @HomeOfCricket #Pose #PerfectView #London #Friendship #FridayVibes pic.twitter.com/oGWCspns7Q

— Jhulan Goswami (@JhulanG10) July 5, 2024

Imagine these two batting for England together...

Both Jos Buttler and Kevin Pietersen will be part of our panel later talking about what the future looks like for the modern day player.

Mark Nicholas is back on stage and what a fascinating line-up we've got to discuss Cricket's Growth Opportunity as he's joined by Clare Connor, Sir Andrew Strauss, Matthew Wheeler (A&W Capital Founder and CEO) and Venky Mysore (Kolkata Knight Riders CEO).

Clare Connor is providing insights about why The Hundred has been so successful due to men's and women's teams in place since inception and that equality of both teams and the dividends it's paying as a result.

Sir Andrew Strauss emphasises how important it is to listen to the fans and what they want and building excitement amongst The Hundred teams and building that sense of tribalism.

Venky Mysore now giving insights into the growth of Kolkata Knight Riders and what's it like to be part of such a successful league and franchise

How can cricket capitalise upon the breadth and growth opportunities and ensure these are transformative, such as emerging markets, the surge in the women's game and its inclusion in the Olympics? 

We're back underway, and New Zealand Cricket Chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon is at the lectern, providing the guests with some insights from their work on the growth of the women and girls' game in New Zealand.

Find out more about our Speakers and Panellists below. 

Speakers & Panellists

🗣 "There will always be a place for Test cricket"@patcummins30 & @benstokes38 spoke about the future of cricket as part of #WorldCricketConnects.#LoveLords pic.twitter.com/PNO34V0jPI

— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 5, 2024

And that's lunch after a fascinating morning at the inaugural World Cricket Connects, where growth of the game, ensuring fans are at the heart of decisions made and the health of bilateral cricket all formed important topics for discussion.

We'll be back at 1.45pm...

Sourav Ganguly is now talking about cricket in India and its vast popularity from the grassroots up to the national team and recognising its commitment to the global game. 

Some fascinating insights from Trudy Lindblade and Ramiz Raja about the importance of bilateral cricket for their respective countries but how their needs thought given to the financial implications of hosting and touring.

And now we're hearing from Sundar Raman about the role he played in launching the IPL and the huge impact the competition has had on the broader game.

We're back underway after a very short comfort break and Mark Nicholas is back at the lectern discussing some of the initial outtakes before handing over to Michael Atherton to kick off A Question of Economics.

He's joined on stage by ​Richard Thompson (ECB Chair), Mike Baird (Cricket Australia Chair) and Sourav Ganguly who are now discussing economics in the game and the impact it's had and how it can evolve in the future.

Baird and Thompson are also discussing the financial health of the game in their respective countries and how to ensure finances are there to invest now and in the future.

Cricket's global economy has never been more buoyant and owes much to India's vision and performance both on and off the field. How does the global game optimise the moment to futureproof its development?

👋 This morning's arrivals in the Long Room.#WorldCricketConnects pic.twitter.com/ZZL2Ku3XXI

— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 5, 2024

We're now into a panel debate with Ravi Shastri, Sanjog Gupta and Graeme Smith hosted by Mark Nicholas. 

They're discussing some of the challenges facing the game and scheduling is a big point of debate, as well as the importance of fans in any discussions about the future of the game. 

This discussion has created a lot of interest in the room and we are now taking questions from the floor for the first time today. First question sees us discussing the fan experience both in and out of the ground.

The last decade has seen the fastest pace of change in cricket's history. Changing societal demands, shifting media consumption and new forms of investment into the game present unprecedented opportunities and challenges for our sport. How do we see these changes impacting cricket over the next 10-20 years?  

ICC Chair Greg Barclay kicks off proceedings at World Cricket Connects with a thought provoking introduction on the state of the game.

He's followed by lead owner of the Rajasthan Royals, Manoj Badale, discussing media consumption in sport and the need to work collaboratively with various stakeholders to grow the game.

Cricketing legends gather in the Long Room 🤝#WorldCricketConnects pic.twitter.com/z4EaLlPRki

— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 5, 2024

We're now officially underway and the great and the good have arrived at Lord's.

How many Test Match runs between these three?

Welcome to the World Cricket Connects Live Blog! We are thrilled to have you join us for an exciting day here at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Throughout the day, we'll keep you updated with the latest news, video content and images live from the heart of the action.

Whether you're a die-hard cricket fan or a casual observer, our live blog will bring you closer to the game, capturing every moment as it happens.

Stay tuned and we look forward to bringing you updates!

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