USA, Nepal and Bhutan were among eight countries honoured at the 2024 ICC Development Awards, announced during the annual board meeting of the International Cricket Council on Sunday. USA Cricket received the ICC Associate Member Men’s Team Performance of the Year award for their strong showings last year, which included qualifying for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. Co-hosting the tournament with the West Indies, the US side defeated Canada and pulled off a stunning win over Pakistan — knocking Babar Azam’s team out of the competition and drawing huge attention. Bhutan and Nepal also made the winners’ list, along with Indonesia, Namibia, Scotland, Tanzania and Vanuatu. In total, 15 Associate Member countries had been shortlisted for the awards.
Commenting on the awards, ICC chairman Jay Shah 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,” as quoted by PTI. Namibia won the ICC Development Initiative of the Year award for its Ashburton Kwata Mini-Cricket Programme, a grassroots cricket project that has become a key part of the country’s development strategy.
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For the first time, the ICC Female Cricket Initiative of the Year award was shared by two organisations — the Bhutan Cricket Council Board and the Vanuatu Cricket Association. Nepal’s governing body, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), won the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year award. Their expansion across digital platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and their new CAN Domestic Facebook pages — helped them reach around 117 million people.
