International Cricket Council

• But he has also been inviting spokesmen for more surprising corners of society to discuss their current relationships with Uzbekistan.
• A businessman, with an MBA from Warwick University, Mr. Mihliev says cricket is the fastest growing sport in Uzbekistan.
• "We have high expectations of the UK helping Uzbek cricket rise quickly to professional levels," he said.
• Both Mr. Gaffney and Mr. Mihliev paid credit to Sophie Ibbotson, a UK brand ambassador for the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee, for bringing them together.

• But there was one thing the organisers did not want those viewers to see (other than India’s defeat by Australia in the final): cricket’s own climate crisis.
• As Indian captain Rohit Sharma remarked, “It is not ideal and everyone knows that.” The United Nations describes the threat more forcefully.

Cricket and the climate Crisis

• As an outdoor summer game in which the natural environment plays a unique role, cricket is perhaps the pitch sport most at risk from a changing climate.
• Read more:
  Time for a reckoning: Cricket Australia, fossil fuel sponsorship and climate change

  The threat is compounded by the precarious regions in which cricket is played.

• At the same time, cricket is not merely a potential victim of the climate crisis, it is a contributor to it.

Sport and Sustainability

• For a game facing a potential existential crisis, cricket’s sustainability efforts have been slow by comparison with other sports.
• Both FIFA and World Rugby have sustainability plans, as do Formula One and most American sports leagues, including the NBA.
• By contrast, the International Cricket Council has not published a sustainability strategy.

Inaction in New Zealand

• New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is as silent on climate as many of its global counterparts.
• It also notes the “cyclones, floods and related civil emergencies” that caused these cancellations were “well beyond its control”.
• At a time when game is struggling to attract participants, climate change is making it harder for recreational cricketers to play.
• New Zealand Cricket’s mission statement states:
  We think ahead and pay it forward.

Chris McMillan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:
  LONDON, Oct. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getty Images (NYSE: GETY), a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, today announced it will be capturing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 as the Authorized Photographic Agency.
• As Authorized Photographic Agency of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Getty Images will deploy a team of award-winning sports photographers to capture every angle of the Cricket World Cup from the Opening Match on 5th October to the Final on 19th November.
• Since 1999, Getty Images has covered seven Cricket World Cups as the Authorized Photographic Agency and will capture over 160,000 images at this year’s tournament.
• Getty Images has worked alongside many of the world’s significant sports leagues and governing bodies for over 25 years.

• A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:
  NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getty Images (NYSE: GETY), a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, today announced a renewed partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) that sees Getty Images continue as an Official Photographic Partner of MLB.
• As an Official Photographic Partner, Getty Images’ award-winning sport photographers and editors will deliver high-quality imagery from every MLB regular season game and dozens more Playoff and World Series games, all to be distributed exclusively on gettyimages.com.
• To further build on the long-standing relationship, Getty Images and MLB are partnering to increase representation, diversity and inclusion within the industry and the content used by the world’s media, clients, partners and licensees.
• Along with MLB, Getty Images is an official photographer or photographic partner to over 120 of the world’s leading sports governing bodies, leagues, and clubs, including the PGA TOUR, FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, International Cricket Council, UEFA, National Hockey League, NASCAR, PGA of America, National Basketball Association and Manchester United.