The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Microsoft have today announced a path-breaking collaboration that will see technology at the centre of delivering long-lasting advantages across various levels of cricket. The partnership will stimulate the ECB’s plan of ‘Inspiring Generations’ to grow cricket, connect communities, improve lives and get along with Microsoft’s mission to empower every individual and organisation to achieve more. The collaboration will provide a wide array of opportunities right from innovating ECB’s elite teams to providing life-changing skills at grassroots level along with opportunities to all the people associated with cricket, from volunteers to young participants to inculcate new life skills in them. The association will also have ECB explore the benefits of artificial intelligence, real-time data and analytics as to how it can improve the performance of England’s national teams. Besides, it will also study if the ball-tracking technology can help discover the next generation of elite cricketers and engage more diverse talent across the game. Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer said: “This partnership has the potential to transform every level of our game.” “We could not have a better partner than Microsoft as we look to put technology at the heart of our business, develop the culture of the game, and bring our purpose to life.” he added Clare Barclay, CEO of Microsoft UK, said: “Microsoft is proud to support the England and Wales Cricket Board in its quest to become a digital-first organisation that can meet the needs and expectations of fans and players now and in the future. “A key aspect of our work together is to create long lasting economic change in local communities by helping people acquire digital skills so vital to their futures. This partnership is a great example of how we at Microsoft can fulfil our mission of empowering people and organisations around the world to achieve more.” he concluded.