The International Cricket Council revealed the six nations that won the ICC Development Award for 2023, announced Wednesday, for their “transformative work” in associate cricket. The winners are the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Mexico, Oman, and Scotland. The countries were feted across six categories, chosen from a shortlist of 21 nations by the ICC Development Awards Panel.
“Recognising transformative work in the Associate cricket world, six nations have been crowned as ICC Development Award winners for 2023,” ICC stated.
The ICC Development Awards, instituted in 2002, acknowledge global-leading work in ICC Associate Member countries to grow the game globally through innovative development programs or inspiring on-field performances.
Here’s how each of the six winners earned their awards:
Mexico’s plans had included sending a team to the Street Child Cricket World Cup in India and a project called Cricket in Prisons in Mexico City, which helped in the rehabilitation process of inmates. Chairman of Mexico Cricket Ben Owen described winning the award as “a huge honour” after their work in building the game in Central America.
Oman launched the Cricket4Her initiative, a program bent on transforming women’s cricket in the country to create an environment that becomes talented, skillful, and empowering for women. The country has almost instantaneously felt the repercussions of the program, with 16 teams competing against each other in softball tournaments, while nine have graduated and continued competing in the hardball cricket league. Mr. Pankaj Khimji, Chairman of Oman Cricket, says that the achievement is likely to catapult the women’s cricket fraternity in the country to even greater heights.
The Netherlands had an inspiring 2023, booking their spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with thrilling victories over the West Indies and Scotland, then going a step better to stun Bangladesh and South Africa in the final competition. According to Monica Visser, the acting CEO of the KNCB, the Dutch team and the said staff deserve an appraisal for great work done—something led by head coach Ryan Cook.
The Emirati women’s team remained unbeaten in Kuala Lumpur during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier and finished it with a win against Thailand in the final. This success set them very well on their pathway to campaign for the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier. The general secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board, Mubashshir Usmani, said that winning that award was a “proud moment.”
Development-wise, Nepal did so in their rabid fanbase—its reach increased by 400 percent on the country’s Facebook channels. Former Nepali men’s captain and the current secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal, Paras Khadka, expressed an acknowledgement to the work of both his association and the millions of fans supporting the country.
Cricket Scotland worked in partnership with Scottish charity Beyond Boundaries, which uses cricket programs to help youngsters who are disadvantaged or underrepresented. This helped to develop women’s cricket, disability clubs, and community sessions for free. One of the keys to transforming lives is cooperation with other organizations, said Nicola Wilson, Head of Development at Cricket Scotland.
