ICC Development Awards 2025 winners announced

The International Cricket Council has unveiled a host of winners from across the world for the ICC Development Awards 2025 delivered by ICC Associate Members.

Celebrating outstanding development programmes and initiatives that drive the global reach of the sport, ICC unveiled winners across seven categories at the ICC Annual Conference, for which a number of awardees were announced back in June. 

The aforementioned categories for honour spanned from development and participation, female cricket initiatives, team performances, digital engagement as well as social impact.

“These Awards were established to celebrate the extraordinary work being delivered by our Associate Members around the world, and this year’s winners are outstanding examples of how cricket can inspire participation, create opportunity, strengthen communities and deliver performances that capture global attention,” ICC Chairman Jay Shah said.

“Congratulations to all the exceptional winners of the ICC Development Awards 2025. You serve as a great inspiration to the global cricket community, and these initiatives display the strength, reach and potential of the sport across every region. 

“I am excited to see the legacy they leave and the further growth they help drive in the years to come.”

The Emirates Cricket Board emerged as the most successful among all nominees, being honoured across three categories.

The first of these was the Marriott Bonvoy Development Initiative of the Year in recognition of the Emirates Cricket Board’s landmark Girls U15 Academy League. The initiative, meant to create opportunities for young girls, creating an environment of inclusion and belief, has left an impact far beyond the boundaries of cricket. This aligns with the ICC’s continuous efforts to elevate the growth of the women’s game globally. 

The Emirates Cricket Board also emerged joint winners alongside Türkiye Cricket as they shared the award for the Emirates ICC Female Cricket Initiative of the Year. In the UAE, the legacy of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 has left an indelible mark, spurring the growth of girls’ cricket through the Interschool criiio Gulf Cup and the Emirates Cricket Board’s Get into Cricket – Girls Only programme.

These initiatives have paved the way for opportunities for the girls that were previously limited or non-existent, taking cricket into schools and communities.

Türkiye Cricket, on the other hand, delivered the largest celebration of the ICC Women’s Cricket Week across Europe in 2025. More than 3,000 young girls from 20 provinces across the country participated in the festivities, varying from softball festivals to ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 watch parties and a coaching webinar for female coaches, serving as an inspiration for schoolgirls and the national team alike.

The Emirates Cricket Board also received the honour of the ICC Associate Member Women’s Team Performance of the Year after UAE Women’s historic performance against Zimbabwe. 

After gaining ODI status, in what was their first subsequent 50-over format series, the UAE played out a 2-2 draw against Zimbabwe before notching a maiden 2-0 win in the T20I series that followed between the two nations. This marked their maiden series win over a higher-ranked Full Member nation on foreign soil.

In the equivalent men’s category, Federazione Cricket Italiana were bestowed with the ICC Associate Member Men’s Team Performance of the Year award after Italy’s historic qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. 

Slotted alongside Scotland and the Netherlands, who were among the favourites to progress from the Europe Qualifier in Rotterdam, Italy produced a remarkable performance to upset Scotland in a decisive match and seal a spot at their first-ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Japan Cricket Association emerged winners for the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year. In an innovative campaign, which included a cricket-themed rebrand of the station closest to Sano International Cricket Ground in collaboration with Tobu Railway,  connecting physical visibility with digital growth. Also recognising their content and distribution partnership with CricTracker that amplified stories to new audiences, the Japan Cricket Association’s digital campaign delivered 61 million views, with 98 percent coming from non-followers, and generated more than 9,000 new followers in a month.

In the category for the ICC Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year, the Confederação Brasileira de Cricket were awarded for its Women’s University Program. The initiative marked financial support to 42 young participants from the Cricket Brasil development project in accessing university education, many of whom are the first in their families to attend university. Furthermore, it also helped increase female participation in the leadership stream from  25% to 50%, with women now representing 52% of all programme participants.

In the final category, the Nigeria Cricket Federation won the ICC criiio Cricket Festival of the Year with Rexona award for its criiio Cricket Festival in Zamfara State. With the theme “Breaking Barriers”, the festival helped cricket cross boundaries to a region where access to sport and education for girls has historically been limited. This combined participation, culture and community support to challenge barriers and advance inclusion, creating a sustainable legacy for women’s cricket in Northwest Nigeria.

The judging panel for the ICC Development Awards was as follows:

Edward Khoza (Cricket South Africa), Kent Stead (New Zealand Cricket), Elaine Nolan

(Cricket Ireland), KJ Singh (Cricket West Indies), Naseeb Khan (Afghanistan Cricket Board),

Samuel Badree (former West Indies men’s player), Kevin O’Brien (former Ireland men’s player), Mary-Anne Musonda (former Zimbaber women’s player), Cynthia McCaffrey

(UNICEF), Daniel van Otterdijk (DP World), Daniel Beswick (Media), Paul Radley (Media)

Complete winners of the ICC Development Awards 2025

Marriott Bonvoy Development Initiative of The Year - Emirates Cricket Board

Emirates ICC Female Cricket Initiative of the Year 2025 - Emirates Cricket Board, Türkiye Cricket

ICC Associate Member Women’s Team Performance of the Year 2025 - Emirates Cricket Board

ICC Associate Member Men's Team Performance of the Year 2025 - Federazione Cricket Italiana

ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year 2025 - Japan Cricket Association

ICC Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year 2025 - Confederação Brasileira de Cricket

ICC criiio Cricket Festival of the Year with Rexona - Nigeria Cricket Federation