NZ tech firm signs up Sri Lanka Cricket

Former New Zealand cricketer Stephen Fleming is one of the co-founders of CricHQ. Photo / Nigel Marple

Wellington cricket technology company CricHQ has landed its biggest deal yet and gained a foothold in Asia by signing up the national cricketing body of Sri Lanka.

CricHQ, whose backers include former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and current captain Brendon McCullum, runs a web and mobile-based system which allows cricketing teams and bodies to manage their competitions and record data.

The free smartphone and tablet app means players and fans can check out live scores, batting averages and other data online, without having to be at the ground.

The company has already signed up more than 120 governing bodies, including New Zealand Cricket, Cricket Canada, Cricket Ireland and even the national bodies for Afghanistan, Holland and Nepal.

In its most significant deal yet, CricHQ has now formed a partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket, which oversees the game at national, domestic and high-school level.

All fixtures, results, points tables and player performances will appear on the official Sri Lanka Cricket website as well as via the app and CricHQ website.

Chief executive Simon Baker said Sri Lanka was one of the major cricketing nations and signing the country on confirmed CricHQ was the best at what it did.

"We're pretty excited about it because we've been working towards this for about two and a half years. We opened an office in Sri Lanka two years ago with this in mind. We've been working pretty hard since to make a formal relationship with Sri Lanka Cricket."

It was the company's most high-profile partnership so far, ahead of New Zealand Cricket, he said.

"In terms of participation numbers and size, this is the biggest. Sri Lanka is crazy about cricket."

Even high school cricket matches were huge in Sri Lanka, Baker said.

"The difference is that rather than having a few hundred people at a school game in New Zealand, in Sri Lanka you've got 30,000 people."

Baker said landing Sri Lanka opened "a doorway" to the massive Asian cricketing market, with India now in its sights.

CricHQ was founded by tech entrepreneur Baker in 2010 and now employs 70 people in seven countries.

While the app is free, the company makes its money when cricketing bodies sign up and pay a fee to use its platform.

Turnover is expected to increase to $10 million next year, as the firm begins commercialising its site by offering subscriptions, paid content and advertising.

More than 80 per cent of the CricHQ's staff play competitive cricket and there are now 587,000 people signed up to its network.