ICC grassroots cricket programme reaches one million players across the world

The International Cricket Council has launched criiio Day, an annual global celebration of grassroots cricket on November 1. The initiative, launched in 2021, has reached one million participants worldwide, including 13-year-old Nigerian player Saidat Hamzat

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday launched ‘criiio Day’, an annual global celebration of grassroots cricket to be observed on November 1, marking the programme’s achievement of reaching one million players worldwide.

Since its inception in 2021, the programme has helped take the game of cricket to different parts of the world.

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Designed to introduce the sport to new audiences through a free, adaptable curriculum available in 18 languages, criiio is the ICC’s entry-level, globally accessible cricket programme.

It is built around the principle that cricket can be played ‘anytime, anywhere, by anyone’, an ICC release said.

Since 2021, criiio has helped grow the sport by bringing together the international cricket community. The global initiative has now reached its one millionth player, Saidat Hamzat.

Thirteen-year-old Saidat, who hails from Lagos State, Nigeria, was initially unfamiliar with cricket. However, that changed when a criiio festival was organised at her school.

“Cricket has given me purpose, discipline and joy; it has changed my life,” Saidat said in the release.

“It makes me happy, and now I speak up more. My friends notice me and, at school, I’m the cricket-mad girl!”

The programme has reached different parts of the world, with 65 ICC Associate Members delivering national programmes and each of the ICC’s 12 Full Members having certified criiio trainers. Its accessibility has also resulted in an equal gender split among the one million global participants.