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Cricket fans join the #wt20 party on Twitter

By
Thursday, 3 April 2014

And then there were four. Australia is gone, but India is on, England was derailed but the West Indies entertained. They have South Africa and Sri Lanka for company in the semifinals, but there was much more to the group stages of the ICC World T20, and the fun played out on Twitter.

The @ICC laid the base with Twitter handles and hashtags on the field and in broadcast, and cricket fans took the cue.

Cricket fans join the #wt20 party on Twitter

Cricket fans join the #wt20 party on Twitter

Credit: ICC

There were 1.1 million Tweets related to #wt20 that were sent during the group stages, from March 16 to April 1.

By taking fans right to their heroes via the @ICC Twitter Mirror, the event drew plenty of attention. What’s more, the Twitter Mirror was used to break exclusive news stories, like Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene’s retirement.

Here’s how the world first heard of it.

Players sent fun get-well-soon wishes to other players, shouted out fans for their support, wished them well on holidays, posed with prized “Man of the Match” trophies and more:

All access for fans has been the theme at the #wt20, and to step it up a notch, the @ICC innovated with Vine, introducing the 6-second match recap. Anthem, crowd, “Man of the Match”, boom.

From stadium arrivals to sneak peeks into the team dressing rooms, all the goodness was captured with Vine.

As the event progresses it is defined by its stories, many of which are being told in Tweets:

There was even an opportunity for fans to interact directly with the experts through a Twitter Q&A. The first of these featured Pakistan legend and #wt20 TV commentator Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) taking over @ICC on Tuesday. The announcement included a cool Vine video featuring the hashtag #AskAkram to get fans involved.

The session was fun, with Wasim answering questions about everything from his favourite holiday destinations to tips for young fast bowlers.

The good news is that the best is still to come. Four sides have left the others square, and each will go into their semifinal believing they can shift up a gear. Who will take home glory? Here’s what some of the players have had to say following qualification. Choose your pick.

India (@BCCI)

South Africa (@OfficialCSA)

Sri Lanka (@OfficialSLC)

West Indies (@westindies)

Stay in touch with all things #wt20 by subscribing to the ICC’s Twitter list.

Onto the knockout stage. May the best team win!