ICC LAUNCHES CRIIIO DAY TO CELEBRATE ONE MILLION PLAYER MILESTONE

• One million players from around the world have participated in criiio programmes worldwide since 2021
• Saidat Hamzat, 13, from Nigeria is the one millionth player, and says “cricket has changed my life”
• criiio Day on 1 November will become an annual global celebration of grassroots cricket that aims to inspire the next million players

To celebrate its criiio programme reaching one million players worldwide, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is launching ‘criiio Day’, an annual global celebration of grassroots cricket on 1 November.

Built around the principle that cricket can be played 'anytime, anywhere, by anyone', criiio is the ICC's entry-level, globally accessible cricket programme, designed to introduce the sport to new audiences through a free, adaptable curriculum available in 18 languages.

Since its inception in 2021, criiio has played an integral role in growing the sport and uniting the international cricket community, with the global movement leading to the one millionth player entering the programme.

That player is Saidat Hamzat, a 13-year-old from Lagos State, Nigeria, who was initially confused about cricket. Things changed for Saidat when a criiio Festival arrived at her school, accompanied by music, fun and a vibrant community spirit that now has her hooked on the sport.

“Cricket has given me purpose, discipline and joy; it has changed my life,” said Saidat. “It makes me happy, and now I speak up more. My friends notice me and, at school, I’m the cricket-mad girl!”

Saidat’s mother has also noticed a positive change in Saidat since she started playing criiio, saying: “We see a happier daughter now, and that came from criiio. One day, I hope to see her in a Nigeria jersey.”

Marking Saidat’s milestone entry to the programme, criiio Day will celebrate the programme's impact and give ICC Members worldwide the chance to share stories, learn from each other’s successes, and inspire the next million people to pick up a bat and ball.

ICC CEO, Sanjog Gupta, said: “We are proud of the impact that criiio has had in just five years. It is a truly transformative programme, demonstrating the power of ‘play’ to unite communities and change lives while keeping fun and discovery at its core. At its heart is a simple but powerful belief: ‘anytime, anywhere, anyone’ - universal access to our sport as a game, as a pastime or as leisure, with no barriers of entry. Reaching one million criiio participants demonstrates what is possible when that belief is backed by the collective commitment of our members, partners and the ecosystem armed with adequate investment.

“As cricket prepares for its return to the Olympic Games at LA28, we have a generational opportunity to introduce the sport to millions around the world, which can be harnessed by widened delivery of criiio programs, particularly aimed at children of all ages. The Criiio Day marks the annual celebration of this movement, recognising participants, volunteers and communities shaping cricket’s future.”

Criiio has found such widespread success by consistently removing barriers to participation, creating a version of cricket that’s not only easy to understand but even easier to play, with schools, parks, gullies and community spaces all providing backdrops for the game.

Beyond finding space to play, equipment is a major barrier to entry for some, and the ICC has addressed this by distributing approximately 5,000 cricket sets through criiio. DP World, the ICC’s Official Global Logistics Partner, have been a key enabler of this distribution, with their Beyond Boundaries Initiative taking the sport to all corners of the world.

Widespread Member adoption has supercharged criiio's global impact, with 65 ICC Associate Members delivering national programmes and each of the ICC's 12 Full Members having certified criiio trainers, while its accessibility has created a 50:50 gender split among the 1,000,000 global participants.

In Tanzania, criiio was adapted into the Swahili-language ‘Chanzo Cricket’ programme, and it has been so successful that the Tanzanian government has made cricket a priority sport for all 3,542 secondary schools in the country. Crucially, Chanzo Cricket will be the vehicle that rolls the sport out to schools nationwide.

In Japan, criiio sessions have been held on padel courts beneath Tokyo Skytree; in Mongolia, they’ve played 1,600km from its capital city of Ulaanbaatar, across the country’s vast steppe; and in Chile, it has brought communities together through a migrant children’s programme.

Africa has produced the most criiio players (400,000+) of any continent, while Brazil leads as a single nation with nearly 200,000 participants, and Bhutan has surpassed 100,000.

Some participants are moving up the pathway, too, with criiio beginning to produce its first international players.

In Argentina, 14-year-old Luna Olivera discovered criiio through the Cricket Sin Fronteras community programme in 2023 before being selected for Argentina's Women's U19 team in 2026. In Nigeria, Chisom Mary Okpe was introduced to cricket through a school criiio session in 2025 before rapidly progressing to Nigeria’s U19 team, and she could feature at next year’s ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

The date (1 November, 1.11) that marks criiio Day directly nods to the three i's in criiio's branding, which represent the stumps and bails that make up a wicket.

The inaugural edition will be celebrated through a global digital campaign, with ICC Members encouraged to share their stories on social media using #criiioDay. To find out more about criiio, visit https://www.icc-cricket.com/criiio.