Namibia gets the ICC Development Initiative of the Year award

Namibia won the ICC Development Initiative of the Year for its school cricket programme, while awards also honoured Bhutan, Vanuatu, USA, Scotland, Nepal, Indonesia, and Tanzania for inspiring cricket initiatives

Hyderabad: Cricket Namibia has won the ICC Development Initiative of the Year award for its Ashburton Kwata Mini-Cricket Programme, the country’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.

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For the first time, the ICC 100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year award will be shared by two Members — the Bhutan Cricket Council Board and the 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.

The Vanuatu Cricket Association receives its honour for the “Picking Wickets” programme, a hybrid model of remote and in-person coaching, which took place while team members were also engaged in seasonal fruit-picking jobs in Australia.

USA Cricket received the ICC Associate Member Men’s Team Performance of the Year award for its team’s success over the past calendar year, including qualification for the Super Eight stage 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 — which led to the elimination of the Babar Azam-led side — brought cricket and the Men’s T20 World Cup into mainstream American television and news.

Cricket Scotland has been awarded the ICC Associate Member Women’s Team Performance of the Year for its senior women’s team’s outstanding performances, which led to qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 for the first time ever.

Captain Kathryn Bryce was named Player of the Tournament at the qualifier, leading the team to a historic entry into the tournament and providing a significant boost to women’s cricket interest and participation in Scotland.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) 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.

Their follower count grew from a little over 1.17 million to more than 1.59 million, gaining over 420,000 new followers. On Facebook (CAN Official), video minutes viewed doubled to more than 13.4 million, while the CAN Domestic account achieved over 4.4 million minutes. YouTube watch time rose by 277% to more than 2.13 million hours, and Instagram views surpassed 40 million, showcasing highlights, player stories, and live updates.

The ICC Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year award went to Persatuan Cricket Indonesia for launching “Cricket for Confidence” — a national movement to empower schoolgirls from Indonesia’s most under-served and remote regions through 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 — for most, their first experience with organized physical activity.

Tanzania was awarded the ICC criiio Cricket Festival of the Year with Rexona for its festival in Dar es Salaam, which brought together 120 women as part of the “From kitchen to crease” programme. It inspired housewives, working professionals, and retired cricketers to participate in a powerful day of cricket and sisterhood.

Mr Jay Shah, ICC Chairman, said it was 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,” he said.