Getting Ready for the World Cup

If you're feeling a bit T20-ed out from a month-plus of daily Indian Premier League action, you're about to get a break as things slowly transition from all T20 matches to all 50-Overs matches for the next two months. While the World Cup doesn't officially begin until May 30, International ODIs begin tomorrow as teams get ready for the global event.

If you're looking to check out the action leading up to the World Cup, you may be surprised which streaming service will hook you up the best.

While a subscription to either Willow or Hotstar will get you every match of the upcoming World Cup -- and a good chunk of the official warm-up matches -- surprisingly it's ESPN+ that has the majority of the international action leading up to the events in England and Wales.

Starting tomorrow, ESPN's pay service will cover a one-off match between Ireland and England and then the entire Ireland Tri-Nation Series featuring the West Indies, Bangladesh, and the host country, Ireland. It's a seven match ODI tournament with the winner being crowned in a final match slated for May 17. Meanwhile, Willow subscribers will be able to catch Pakistan's tour of England which will include a single T20 and five ODIs.

ESPN+ hasn't been offering much cricket -- other than some New Zealand events -- but there are rumors that the "world leader in sports" will be getting involved deeper in the sport. As it is, it's probably not investing in at $50 for the entire year, but paying the monthly $4.99 for all the tune-up matches in May is a no-brainer.