How to live stream a local cricket match from your phone

Step 1: get your YouTube channel ready

Do this a day or two before the match, not at the ground. Use the YouTube channel your club or tournament will keep, so every match ends up in one place.

• Verify the channel in YouTube's settings, usually with a phone number.
• Switch on live streaming. The first time, YouTube can take up to 24 hours to allow it, which is why you start early.
• Check for restrictions. A channel that had a live streaming restriction in the last 90 days cannot go live.
• Know the 50-subscriber rule. Going live with the YouTube app's own camera needs at least 50 subscribers. Streaming apps that send the video to YouTube as an encoder do not need them, only live streaming switched on.

Step 2: the kit

• A phone with a good camera for filming, and preferably a second phone for scoring.
• A tripod or a firm mount. A shaky picture is the fastest way to lose viewers. A tall tripod or a spot on a roof or a stand is ideal.
• A power bank. Streaming drains a battery fast, so plug the phone in for the whole match.
• Mobile data or Wi-Fi with a steady upload. A full match uses a lot of data, so use a package with plenty to spare.
• Shade for the phone on a hot day. Phones streaming in direct sun overheat and can stop.

Step 3: where to put the camera

The classic cricket view is from behind the bowler's arm, high and in line with the pitch, so viewers see the bowler run in, the batter and where the ball goes. On a club ground, set the tripod straight behind the sightscreen or on a raised spot behind it, and film in landscape.

• Frame the pitch with some of the field around it, so a big shot does not leave the screen at once.
• Avoid filming into the sun or straight into floodlights.
• Lock the focus and exposure on the pitch if your camera allows it, so the picture does not keep adjusting.
• Keep the phone away from the boundary, where a six or a fielder can knock it over.

Step 4: the internet at the ground

A steady upload matters more than a fast download. Before the toss, run a speed test where the camera will stand, and walk the boundary if the signal is weak: a few metres can make a big difference. If one network is poor, a hotspot from a phone on another network often does better. YouTube's advice is to choose a quality your connection can hold for the whole stream, and a clear lower-quality picture beats a sharp one that keeps freezing.

Step 5: put the score on the screen

A cricket stream without the score is hard to follow: viewers who join late cannot tell who is batting or what is needed. The score has to come from somewhere, and it is easiest when a scorer records every ball on a second phone and the graphics follow those taps. That also lets you show the Playing XI, the toss, new batters, wickets and the match summary at the right moments.

Step 6: ask first

Check that the ground and both teams are happy for the match to be streamed, and take extra care with junior matches: get parents' permission before filming players under 18. A short message in the captains' group before the day avoids awkward conversations at the toss.

Streaming with Manage Cricket

The Manage Cricket Android app is built for this exact job. Connect your YouTube channel once, pick the match and go live from the filming phone. The scorer taps each ball on another phone, and a TV-style scoreboard follows on the stream: the score bar with player photos, the Playing XI, the toss, FOUR, SIX and wicket graphics, scorecards at the breaks and the match summary at the end. You do not need a computer or OBS.

• Going live is in the Android app only for now. Viewers can watch on any phone, computer or TV.
• Streaming is Rs 50 a match in prepaid packs, and the stream goes to your own channel, where YouTube keeps the video after the match.
• Running a tournament? Stream the final with your sponsors on screen. See the tournament app.