ECB concerned over danger to cricket from pirate websites

London, Jan 27 (ANI): England and Wales Cricket Board chief Giles Clarke has said the game of cricket faces danger from pirate websites who have complicated the fight against corruption.

Clarke revealed that the governing body has closed down 700 pirate websites providing illegal streams of matches, and warned that they are "the biggest danger" to the game.

Speaking on Test Match Special during the tea interval of the second day of England's second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, he also announced a six-year extension of ECB's agreement with the BBC for radio coverage for all home England internationals that now runs until 2019.

The ECB is also thought to be close to agreeing a new television contract with Sky, whose current 300 million pounds four-year deal expires at the end of 2013, which will again form a large proportion of its revenue, The Guardian reports.

But it is the threat to such deals posed by pirate sites, plus the additional complications they could produce in the fight against corruption, which now concerns Clarke.

"We all have to be very vigilant. There are a huge number of pirate websites streaming cricket on the internet taken from television broadcasts - we and our broadcasters closed down 700 during last summer's series against India. It's an extremely complex procedure, but it can be done and it has to be done," he said.

"That is the biggest danger to cricket, because they take money out of the game without commercial benefit to us. They are being used by the bookmakers as well. The problem of pirate site streaming is very big for sport," Clarke added. (ANI)