TIQRI and Day1Sport partner to create Sri Lanka’s first ‘phygital’ cricket app

TIQRI development team with Day1Sport management

Day1Sport management team (from left): COO Jeff Burton, Operations Head Vindya Weerasinghe, CTO Mats Hagen, and CEO Kjell Hausmann

TIQRI Corporation CEO Kim Worm-Petersen  

TIQRI Corporation and Day1Sport have announced their partnership to create a first-of-its-kind ‘phygital’ (physical and digital) cricket app that blends the excitement of traditional cricket and immersive digital interactions. 

TIQRI is leveraging its 15 years of experience with global software solutions to develop the app through its Sri Lankan development centre. This collaboration reflects a shared vision to revolutionise how cricket fans in Sri Lanka, South Asia, and beyond experience and engage with the sport.

In laying the foundation for this app – Cricket Freedom – Day1Sport COO Jeff Burton brings a wealth of knowledge. He is a pivotal figure in the gaming industry, with his earlier role as Co-Founder of Electronic Arts (EA). Under his leadership, EA grew into a global leader in interactive entertainment, impacting millions of gamers worldwide.

The journey for Cricket Freedom begins with the inaugural Wicket-Cricket tournament to be held in Colombo this September. Fans will soon be able to download the free app to actively engage with the tournament in real-time by choosing teams to support, voting on match rules, participating in interactive prize-winning activities, and more. Recognising the growing influence of women in sports, who comprised 40% of the audience during the last Cricket World Cup, Cricket Freedom prioritises inclusivity as it promotes all-female and mixed teams in tournaments.

TIQRI Corporation CEO Kim Worm-Petersen said: “New projects are always exciting, and it is more so when our developer team in Sri Lanka gets to work on a cricketing app, combining their passion for tech and cricket. We thank Day1Sport for entrusting us with this project. The development of Cricket Freedom will bring together cutting-edge technologies such as advanced features in AI for accurate match predictions and seamless integration between virtual and physical experiences.”

Burton said: “Cricket’s global fan base now stands at an astounding 2.5 billion people, with its popularity surging in the US and Europe too. The Cricket Freedom app is poised to captivate cricket lovers across continents, with its gaming platform creating a vibrant community and new ways to engage with the sport and fellow fans.”

Day1Sport and TIQRI are further amplifying Cricket Freedom’s reach by partnering with Sri Lankan universities. The first batch of seven interns from NSBM Green University are already working at TIQRI’s office located at One Galle Face Tower. They bring fresh perspectives to the project as they work under the mentorship of the company’s talented tech experts.

The Cricket Freedom app represents a significant leap forward in fan engagement for the sport of cricket. This innovative collaboration between TIQRI and Day1Sport is poised to unlock exciting growth opportunities within the cricket ecosystem, as sports and technology merge.