ICC education programme boosts global cricket growth ahead of LA Olympics 2028

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Dubai, May 8 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Training and Education (T&E) Programme is continuing to strengthen cricket development around the world, with more than 63,000 registered users completing over 43,000 courses in the last five years.

Launched in 2021, the programme has become the ICC’s main platform for cricket education and accreditation. Courses are available in 14 languages, and participants have come from 110 ICC member nations and 69 non-member countries. According to the ICC, 109 of its 110 members have completed at least one ICC-certified course.

The programme covers coaching, umpiring, pitch curation, and other areas aimed at improving the standard of cricket globally. The ICC said the initiative is helping both elite and grassroots cricket, including the growth of women’s cricket.

One example of the programme’s impact was seen during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, when former Namibia cricketer Craig Williams completed the ICC Coaching Level 3 pathway before taking over as head coach of the national team.

The ICC also highlighted the success of its cricket Programme, which focuses on introducing cricket in schools and communities. More than 2,200 teachers and facilitators from over 1,400 schools have been trained under the initiative, while over 725,000 participants have taken part globally. Women and girls made up 49 per cent of participants.

The governing body added that women now account for 44 per cent of ICC Global Master Educators, who help deliver training programmes around the world.

To further improve the programme, the ICC is introducing a new Learning Management System (LMS), accessible through web and mobile applications. The upgraded platform will provide Members with better access to data, monitoring, and reporting tools to help them track progress and improve domestic cricket strategies.

ICC General Manager of Development, Will Glenwright, said strengthening cricket’s workforce and development systems will be key to the sport’s future growth.

“The continued growth of cricket globally depends on the strength of our people, systems, and pathways. Through the ICC Training and Education Programme, we are committed to equipping our Members with the tools and knowledge needed to build sustainable and high-performing cricket environments that not only improve the competitiveness of international cricket but also improve the playing experience for all,” he said in an ICC press release.

“The introduction of the enhanced Learning Management System is an important part of this journey, enabling better access to education and more effective use of data and insights at the Member level. As we look ahead to key milestones, including the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, strengthening our global workforce and supporting Member development will remain central to our ambitions for the game,” he added.

According to ICC, 21 Member nations secured funding through their National Olympic Committees in 2025, supported further by the ICC’s partnership with Olympic Solidarity.

Looking ahead, the ICC aims to achieve 100 per cent Member adoption and active programme delivery by 2028, along with more than 200,000 course completions and at least 25 per cent female participation across all pathways.

–IANS

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‘Virat Kohli is at his happiest, best after Test retirement, says Dinesh Karthik

Lucknow, May 23 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik, has revealed that despite the shock of Virat Kohli’s decision to step down from Test cricket, the Indian veteran batter was at his ‘happiest and best’ in the aftermath of his announcement.

RCB’s clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday is Kohli’s first game since his decision. RCB were supposed to face Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, but the game was washed out, which also prompted the game against SRH to be shifted to Lucknow.

Fans were flooding in numbers and as a special tribute to their most beloved cricketer and had worn white T-shirts to honour Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket.

“It came as a shock to the outside world, so we are just observing what Virat is up to. He is at his happiest best now, he is enjoying the sport, and he really wants to spend his time with his family. It’s a personal decision, we respect it, and like everyone else, this is happening, but the fact is, it’s great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits,” said Karthik in a pre-game chat with the broadcasters.

The game against Hyderabad is of utmost importance for RCB as it gives them a chance to move past Gujarat Titans to the first spot in the IPL 2025 table. Karthik reflected on the chance of going top and how the mid-season break, courtesy of India-Pakistan tensions, helped RCB to recover.

“I think midway through this tournament is to achieve the top two. These are two important games for us, and we will try to get into the top two if possible. It has been a welcome change, the boys are fresh and ready to go, in between a tournament like this with this kind of intensity, it can get tiring, especially at the backend of the tournament, this break has come so we embrace it with both hands,” he said.

“Rajat has had his time to recover, it’s a big positive, on the other hand, we lost Dev (Padikkal) but he couldn’t be fit, we miss him but we got Mayank and he is a talent, he has been there in the tournament since many years so looking forward to seeing him in action,” added Karthik.

–IANS

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T20I Tri-Series: Conway’s unbeaten 59 powers NZ to 8-wicket win vs Zimbabwe

Harare, July 18 (IANS) New Zealand sealed a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Friday.

After Matt Henry’s three-wicket haul, alongside a scalp each for Adam Milne, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner, restricted the hosts to 120/7, Devon Conway produced a man of the match performance by scoring an unbeaten 59 off 40 deliveries to seal the victory in the ongoing T20I Tri-Series between Zimbabwe, New Zealand and South Africa.

Wessly Madhevere (36) and Brian Bennett (21) steered through the opening overs before the latter fell to Henry in the final over of the powerplay.

Wicket-keeper batter Clive Madande’s (8) time at the crease was cut short by Ravindra. Madhvere continued to steadily build his innings and scored 36 off 32 deliveries, which included four boundaries, before he was castled over by Milne. Santner dismissed his counterpart Sikander Raza (12) before Henry claimed the wickets of

Tony Munyonga (13) and Tashinga Musekiwa (4) to restrict the hosts to 120/7.

In their chase of 121, Conway was given a lifeline when he was dropped in the first over of the second innings when he played a loose shot off Richard Ngarava’s back of a length delivery and was dropped by Blessing Muzarabani. If the catch was taken, Zimbabwe could have built further pressure as Tim Seifert (3) fell to Muzarabani.

Rachin Ravindra (30) and Conway began to take the game away from the hosts which included the former smacking Trevor Gwandu for three consecutive boundaries in the fifth over.

The left-handed all-rounder was ultimately undone by the short ball ploy. Tinotenda Maposa’s short ball, outside off, saw Rachin guide it towards third man where Muzarabani made no mistake this time around and took a fine catch while diving in front.

Conway went on to reach his half-century in 34 deliveries and alongside Daryll Mitchell (26) went on to chase down the target in 13.5 overs with 37 balls remaining.

Brief Score: Zim: 120/7 ( Wessly Madhevere 36, Brian Bennett 21; Matt Henry 3-26) lost to NZ 122/2 (Devon Conway 59*, Rachin Ravindra 30; Blessing Muzarabani 1-27) by eight wickets and 37 balls to spare.

–IANS

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Saint Lucia Kings win last ball-thriller to register first win of CPL

Basseterre, Aug 20 (IANS) Defending champions Saint Lucia Kings beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by three runs in a last ball-thriller at Warner Park to register their first win of the Caribbean Premier League early on Wednesday.

Put in to bat after losing the toss, St Lucia Kings posted 200 runs in the first innings, riding on quick-fire half centuries from Johnson Charles and Roston Chase and a 23 ball 46 from Tim David. Charles scored 52 off 28 balls and set the tone for a big total for SLK.

A brilliant debut innings from Breakout League pick Navin Bidaisee saw the Patriots stay in contention throughout a tight run chase as they attempted to haul down the Kings total of 200/8.

The match went down to the final delivery with Bidaisee and the Patriots requiring four to win off David Wiese’s last ball. Wiese nailed his yorker for most of the over but missed his length slightly off the crucial delivery to put one in the slot.

Navin duly bunted down towards the boundary at long off only for the towering Tim David to pull off an ice-veined catch to give Kings victory by three runs and break Patriot hearts in the process.

For St Lucia Kings, captain David Wiese and Khary Pierre picked up two wickets each.

Chase was named player of the match for scoring 61 off 38 deliveries with the bat and cementing an all-round performance with 2-27 with the ball, his wily spin economical as ever and pocketing the wickets of Rilee Rossouw and Patriots skipper Jason Holder.

“It was a bit nerve-racking. I think we made it a hard victory. I thought we could have won it a bit more outright, but I’m still grateful for the two points,” said Chase post-match.

The loss saw the Patriots with just one win in four matches and three defeats on the bounce. The Kings head to the top of the CPL table on net run rate despite their first match against the Falcons being abandoned due to rain.

Earlier, SLK’s first match was washed out due to heavy rain on Monday. They will face Trinbago Knight Riders next early on Sunday.

–IANS

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