Global winners of ICC Development Awards 2024 revealed

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the outstanding programmes and performances that have won global honours in the 2024 edition of the ICC Development Awards. Global winners were selected from a shortlist of regional awardees across 15 nations. Bhutan, Indonesia, Namibia, Nepal, Scotland, Tanzania, the USA and Vanuatu are eight Members receiving top honours.

The ICC Development Awards were established in 2002 to celebrate the initiatives and innovative programmes leading the growth of the sport around the world, delivered by ICC Members in emerging nations, and for the first time, the 2024 awards will have seven categories after the introduction of the ICC X Rexona criiio Cricket Festival of the Year award.

Cricket Namibia have won the ICC Development Initiative of the Year award for their Ashburton Kwata Mini-Cricket Programme, Namibia’s flagship grassroots development initiative. It has been integrated into the physical education periods of public schools across the country, making cricket accessible to tens of thousands of students across 14 local regions.

For the first time, the ICC 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year award will be shared by two Members, Bhutan Cricket Council Board and Vanuatu Cricket Association. The Bhutan Cricket Council Board is recognized for its “Inter-School Girls’ Competition, a structured initiative aimed at boosting female participation by introducing school-level contests using modified formats, starting with tennis ball cricket and progressing to hardball. Since its inception, the programme has engaged thousands of girls, many of whom were introduced to cricket for the first time.

Vanuatu Cricket Association receive its honours for its “Picking Wickets” programme, a hybrid model of remote and in-person coaching, taking place while team members also took part in seasonal fruit-picking jobs in Australia.

USA Cricket received the ICC Associate Member Men’s Team Performance of the Year award for their team’s success in the last calendar year, with performances that included qualifying for the Super Eight level of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup hosted by the USA and the West Indies. Their victories against Canada and a historic win against Pakistan saw them knock out the Babar Azam-led team from the competition, bringing cricket and the Men’s T20 World Cup to the forefront of mainstream American television and news.

Cricket Scotland have been awarded the ICC Associate Member Women’s Team Performance of the Year prize for outstanding performances on the field of play which saw the Scotland senior women’s team achieve qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 for the first time ever. Captain, Kathryn Bryce, was named the Player of the Tournament at the Qualifier, leading the team to a historic qualification, which has provided a massive boost both to women’s cricket interest and participation in Scotland.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has received the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year award. The organization’s strategic expansion across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and their newly launched CAN Domestic Facebook accounts resulted in a total reach of approximately 117 million and an overall follower increase from a little more than 1.17 million to over 1.59 million, gaining more than 420,000 new followers.

On Facebook (CAN Official), video minutes viewed doubled to more than 13.4 million, while the new CAN Domestic account achieved over 4.4 million minutes, showcasing domestic cricket’s appeal. YouTube watch time surged by 277% to more than 2.13 million hours, and Instagram views leaped above 40 million, captivating fans with highlights, player stories and live updates.

The ICC Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year award goes to Persatuan Cricket Indonesia for their launch of “Cricket for Confidence” – a national movement to empower schoolgirls from Indonesia’s most under-served and remote regions through the game of cricket. In a country of over 17,000 islands, where structured sport for rural girls is nearly nonexistent, this initiative broke new ground socially, geographically, and culturally. Across five provinces, more than 300 schoolgirls participated in what, for most, was their first experience with organized physical activity.

Tanzania has been awarded the ICC criiio Cricket Festival of the Year with Rexona for their criiio Cricket Festival in Dar es Salaam which brought together 120 women who formed part of their “From kitchen to crease” programme which galvanized housewives, working professionals and even retired cricketers to take part in an inspirational day of cricket and sisterhood.

Jay Shah, ICC Chairman, said: “It is a pleasure to announce the global winners of the ICC Development Awards. This is a celebration of global exceptionalism, with all winners worthy of the accolades they have received in their mission to grow the game in emerging nations.

“Each year, these Awards put a deserved spotlight on the remarkable stories of growth taking place around the world and this year is no different. We join the world in celebrating the passion, hard work and innovation behind these successful initiatives. I wish to congratulate everyone on their success and look forward to seeing these programmes continue to flourish in 2025 and beyond.”

The judging panel for the Global ICC Development Awards 2024 is as follows:

Mike Baird (Chair, Cricket Australia), Kishore Shallow (Chair, Cricket West Indies), Warren Deutrom (CEO, Cricket Ireland), Ashley De Silva (CEO, Sri Lanka Cricket), Givemore Makoni (CEO, Zimbabwe Cricket), VVS Laxman (Director National Cricket Academy, BCCI), Samuel Badree (former West Indies men’s player), Katey Martin (former New Zealand women’s player), Cynthia McCaffrey (UNICEF India representative), Nitin Agarwal (Head of Marketing, Unilever International), Kass Naidoo (Broadcaster), Nikhil Uttamchandani (Broadcaster).

Complete winners of the Global ICC Development Awards 2024