The Labour party has pledged to add the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to its list of events to feature on free-to-air television, its manifesto has confirmed.

“Sport enriches our lives, binds communities together and helps us all to stay healthy,” said the 107-page document, unveiled at an event in Birmingham on Thursday. “We will add the ICC Cricket World Cup to the list of crown jewel sporting events that are broadcast free-to-air.”

The crown jewel sports list are exclusive events that must be shown on free-to-air TV. The Cricket World Cup is not on the list and the rights are owned by Star Sports who then distribute the rights to Sky Sports in the UK.

The commitment follows a recent appearance by senior ECB figures before the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s Select Committee, with free-to-air access forming a key part of the open debate.

Unlike its football and rugby counterparts, the Cricket World Cup has not featured on terrestrial TV since the 1999 World Cup.

However, the women’s football World Cup and coverage of Wimbledon on the BBC attracted substantially more eyeballs, raising concerns that cricket’s popularity may have declined since it last featured on free-to-air in the 2005 Ashes series.