Inspiring initiatives honoured as Global winners of ICC Development Awards revealed

• Six nations crowned as ICC Development Awards global winners with Mexico, Oman, Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, and Scotland receiving top honours
• The Awards acknowledge the world-leading programmes delivered by ICC Members to grow the game
• Global winners were selected by an esteemed panel, from a shortlist of regional awardees which spanned 21 emerging nations

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today revealed the global winners in the ICC Development Awards 2023, with six emerging nations honoured for a range of groundbreaking initiatives and outstanding performances during the last calendar year.

Launched in 2002, the ICC Development Awards casts light on the world-leading work being carried out in ICC Associate Member countries to grow the game globally, whether through innovative development programmes or through inspiring efforts on the field of play.

Mexico Cricket Association were awarded the ICC Development Initiative of the Year prize for pioneering projects which included sending a team to the Street Child Cricket World Cup in India, and for their unique Cricket in Prisons programme, in which they deliver cricket sessions in prisons across Mexico City to enhance the rehabilitation and transformation of the lives of inmates.

Oman Cricket claimed the 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year for the Cricket4Her programme, which provides unique participation opportunities for women and girls and a valuable pathway through to competitive cricket.

The ICC Associate Member Men’s Performance of the Year prize was awarded to the Netherlands for their heroic efforts in qualifying and competing at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, while the UAE won the Associate Member Women’s Performance of the Year award after an impressive unbeaten spell which saw them triumph at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Asia Qualifier in Malaysia.

Rounding off the winners were Cricket Association of Nepal, who clinched the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year following substantial growth on their social channels, and Cricket Scotland, who were victorious in the Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year category, honouring their groundbreaking partnership with Breaking Boundaries, a local Scottish charity, to transform the lives of young, disadvantaged and underrepresented people in the country.

This year’s winners were identified from a long list of regional awardees announced back in April, and were determined by an esteemed panel comprising ICC Full Member executives, former international cricketers, and ICC global partners.

ICC General Manager – Development, William Glenwright: “The ICC Development Awards has a long-standing history of recognising the groundbreaking work being done by ICC Members to grow the game in emerging nations.

“Each year this project highlights some inspiring and remarkable stories and this year is no exception, with passion and innovation at the forefront of these successful initiatives. As well as delivering on the objectives outlined in the ICC’s Global Strategy, it is always heartening to be reminded that our sport has the power to drive positive social change, and these projects are testament to that. It’s a time for us to reflect on the contribution of so many – particularly the volunteers – who are working so hard to make cricket more accessible to millions around the world.

“We are delighted to unveil the list of 2023 global winners, and alongside the regional winners announced earlier in the year, we wish to congratulate everyone on their success. We look forward to seeing these programmes continue to flourish in 2024 and beyond.”

The ICC Development Awards Panel:

Diana Puketapu-Lyndon (Chair of New Zealand Cricket), Julia Price (ICC Master Educator), Leshia Hawkins (Managing Director, Recreation Game at England and Wales Cricket Board), Sarah Fane (Director at MCC Foundation), Johnny Grave (CEO of Cricket West Indies), Shakera Selman (former West Indies international cricketer), Pholetsi Moseki (CEO of Cricket South Africa), Ed Rainsford (former Zimbabwe international cricketer and broadcaster), Mirwaiz Ashraf (CEO at Afghanistan Cricket Board), Mona Parthsarathi (Press Trust of India), Cynthia McCaffrey (UNICEF India Representative) and Arnab Roy (VP and Head of Marketing at Coca Cola India and South-West Asia).

ICC Development Awards 2023 Global Winners

ICC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – MEXICO CRICKET ASSOCIATION

Throughout 2023, Mexico Cricket Association delivered a range of leading development programmes which left a significantly positive impact on Mexican society.

As well as participating in the Street Child Cricket World Cup in September in collaboration with Fütbol Más Mexico – where they sent a small group of children from Mexico to compete in the tournament in Chennai, India, they also initiated their Cricket in Prisons Programme in partnership with the country’s National Commission of Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE).

Launched in Mexico City, the programme now sees hundreds of male and female participants take part in cricket clinics every week, not only improving the daily lives of prisoners, but also teaching important values, providing employment opportunities and ultimately contributing to their effective re-integration into society.

Following the successful launch, the programme is set to expand nationally, and will include competitive games taking place in Mexico City in 2024.

Ben Owen, Chairman of Mexico Cricket: “It is a huge honour to be recognised with an ICC Development Award and it means the world to each of us on a regional and national level.

“It is first and foremost a truly meaningful recognition at the highest level, that our volunteers who have put in so many hours are both valued and respected. It also shows our stakeholders, such as our National Sports Ministry, as well as current and future sponsors that cricket in Mexico is indeed on a huge growth trend and this recognition will accelerate conversations we are already having on multiple levels.

“Lastly, it highlights the power of cricket as a force for social change as well as raising our profile enormously which should open even more doors in the future.”

100% CRICKET FEMALE CRICKET INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – OMAN CRICKET

Oman Cricket are crowned winners in this category after launching the Cricket4Her programme in 2023. The project aims to redefine the landscape of women's cricket in the country by cultivating an environment that encourages talent development, skill enhancement, and the empowerment of women cricketers.

The programme has already had a significant impact in the country through regular school sessions and both softball and hardball cricket tournaments. 16 Teams participated in softball tournaments with nine teams transitioning to a competitive hardball cricket league, providing not only a unique platform for participation, but also a valuable pathway for young women and girls through to competitive cricket.

Chairman of Oman Cricket, Mr Pankaj Khimji: “We are elated by this achievement. We would like to thank the ICC for this recognition. It will put us on a pedestal from which we can take women’s cricket to greater heights.

“It goes without saying that if the coaches and the team behind the initiative did not have the passion and commitment to make it happen, we would not have been able to attract these female cricketers, let alone making them stay, embrace the game and go on to play tournaments.”

“We hope that we are able to take this to the next level, adding more schools, colleges and girls from local communities. Harnessing the family factor into cricket is going to be the major success factor for cricket in Oman.”

ICC ASSOCIATE MEMBER MEN’S PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands men’s team were responsible for a number of highlights throughout the cricket calendar in 2023, and secure the award after sparkling performances in Zimbabwe at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, before impressing in India later in the year at the main event.

Among the many highlights from their excellent year was their Super Over success against the West Indies, which included a memorable 30-run effort from Logan van Beek. Following that victory, the men in orange excelled once again, this time in the dramatic winner-takes-all encounter against Scotland – Bas de Leede inspiring them to victory, taking 5-57 and hitting 123 to help them over the line and qualify for the main event for the first time since 2011.

The success continued in India, where the men in orange produced stirring collective displays to overcame full members Bangladesh and South Africa among a string of good performances.

Chief Executive of the KNCB, Monica Visser commented: “We're over the moon with the ICC Development Award. The national men’s team had an incredible year in 2023, first by qualifying in Zimbabwe for the World Cup and then by strong performances in the World Cup itself by beating South Africa and Bangladesh.

“It was an amazing experience, triggered by a clear philosophy and the result of hard work from Ryan Cook and his staff as well as the players’ commitment and aspirations. Playing in the World Cups has inspired many. The performances of our national teams, men and women, have boosted the growth of Dutch cricket. The great effort put in by our Regional Development Officers and grassroots development programmes is paying off.”

ICC ASSOCIATE MEMBER WOMEN’S PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – UAE

The United Arab Emirates claimed the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Kuala Lumpur following a dominant unbeaten run, and win the global award from a competitive shortlist in the women’s performance category.

Important victories over the hosts, Qatar and Bahrain preceded a semi-final victory over Hong Kong. In the final matchup against a strong Thailand side, a thrilling six-run win was earned thanks to the mastery of Kavisha Egodage.

This helped them advance to the global qualifier, which took place earlier in 2024, and the UAE continued to impress, reaching the semi-final stage on the back of some exceptional performances led by captain Esha Oza before being undone by eventual qualifiers Sri Lanka in a closely fought clash at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Cricket Stadium.

**General Secretary of Emirates Cricket Board, Mubashshir Usmani: “**Winning the ICC Associate Member Women’s Performance of the Year award is a proud moment for UAE cricket. Over the last few years, we have laid special emphasis on promoting and developing women’s cricket and it is heartening to see those efforts have now started to bear fruit.

“Our team won the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers in Malaysia by remaining unbeaten in the entire event. Our current captain Esha Oza performed exceptionally in the tournament. This success has been possible due to the hard work and the training that these girls undergo at our facilities.

“We are happy with the progress of our team as they continue to rise in their rankings while their upward curve is evident from their outstanding performance in the recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi where they fought tenaciously till the very end against a formidable opponent like Sri Lanka in the semi-final and came super close to earning qualification for the prestigious Women’s T20 World Cup.

“The Emirates Cricket Board will continue to invest further in the development of women’s cricket across the country.”

ICC DIGITAL FAN ENGAGEMENT OF THE YEAR – CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF NEPAL

Cricket Association of Nepal are rewarded for their digital successes in 2023 with the global award. Through a range of engagement tactics, they recorded notable growth among their passionate fanbase, illustrated by a growth in reach on their Facebook channels of over 400%. These efforts further promoted the game to audiences around the country and beyond.

Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal, Paras Khadka said: “We are immensely proud to receive the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year award. This recognition reflects the collective effort of our entire cricket community including our fans who have been one of our greatest strengths over the years.

“By promoting the game for both our women's and men's cricket, we are trying to create a vibrant and inclusive cricket culture in Nepal. Our digital strategies have brought fans closer to the game, meaning a deeper connection and passion for cricket in our country, and this accolade inspires us to continue our mission of growing the game and engaging our fans in new and exciting ways.''

CRICKET 4 GOOD SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – CRICKET SCOTLAND

Cricket Scotland are crowned the 2023 winners in this category after successfully delivering a holistic social impact programme in partnership with Beyond Boundaries.

Beyond Boundaries is a young Scottish Charity which funds programmes that use cricket, in any of its forms, to transform the lives of young, disadvantaged and underrepresented people in Scotland. The partnership has seen programmes funded and delivered to support the growth of women and girls’ cricket, establish disability cricket in clubs and provide free community cricket sessions for children in disadvantaged areas.

Additionally, through the partnership, 16 female coaches have benefitted from additional support, removing barriers for female participants to start their coaching journey.

Head of Development for Cricket Scotland Nicola Wilson commented: “We are absolutely delighted to accept this award in partnership with Beyond Boundaries.

“The key to transforming lives is partnership working, and while Cricket Scotland works with many charities, Beyond Boundaries focuses on funding a wide range of cricket programmes for underrepresented groups solely within Scotland.

“Our partnership covers so many aspects of the work we do; this includes our Disability Champion Clubs, the growth of women’s and girls’ cricket through the Wee Bash, the Female Coach Development Programme and the Women’s Beyond Boundaries T20 Scottish Cup, and the HOWZAT programme for five to 11-year-olds.

“It is fantastic to see the success of these programmes, which have positively impacted so many people across Scotland, being given global recognition.”