England stars and school children have joined forces to urge more kids to pick up a bat and ball - showcasing all how people play cricket, whether in the back garden, at school, in the park, in the street, on the beach or at their local club.
England captains Ben Stokes and Heather Knight feature in a new video, alongside record wicket-taker Jimmy Anderson and England Men’s Deaf team international Joel Harris. In what is set to be a record year for kids’ participation in cricket, they appear alongside school children with the ambition of inspiring even more children to take up the sport, by giving their perspectives on what cricket is to them, from playing in packed out stadiums to playing in the back garden with friends and family.
2024 set to be a big year for ‘kids’ cricket
In 2023, a record 1.1 million children were supported to play cricket by ECB and partner programmes, and 2024 is now on track to surpass this.
Ahead of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the 2030 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, more investment than ever will go into grassroots cricket to maximise their impact to inspire the next generation.
The ECB already invests £4 million each year to support the free delivery of cricket in schools via Chance to Shine and Lord's Taverners, reaching 600,000 children, and working with every County Cricket Board across England and Wales.
This number will now increase as, in April, following extensive discussions with the ECB, the Government announced a £35 million investment in grassroots cricket facilities and widening access to the sport within state schools, enabling over 900,000 young people to play cricket over the next five years.
Jos Buttler of England, who has shared how Somerset inspired their love for cricket and kickstarted their career told Asian Voice, “I first fell in love with the game playing with my brother and sister in the back garden. It’s where the passion for the sport started.
“At the 1999 home World Cup, I was inspired by watching some world-class cricketers when matches were taken to my home county ground at Taunton, Somerset. Watching Indian batsmen Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid both score big hundreds against Sri Lanka had a profound impact on me. I was inspired and thought I could do this when I grew up. From that day on, I dreamt of playing cricket professionally.
“Fast-forward to today. I’ve worked hard and had a bit of luck along the way, but after winning two World Cups for England, the highlight so far in my professional career, I always think back to those warm summer days in the garden in Somerset or watching the best as a kid at Taunton. That’s why this game is special.”
Moshifique Ahmed, England Men’s VI team spoke to the newsweekly about what inspired their love for cricket and kickstarted their career. He said, “Cricket became my inspiration for living this life. I lost my sight in 2017 and for the next two years, I couldn’t leave the house. Playing cricket has changed my life and playing for my country is just another level beyond my belief.
“Playing for England is such a privilege and honour, and I still feel like I am living in my dream. Every day I pray to God not to wake me from that when I go to sleep. Today, through cricket, I am inspiring other people like me and showing them that having a visual impairment isn’t the end of your journey in sport.”
ECB’s latest campaign supports more people to find their way to play cricket, no matter if that is at home, in school or in the community. More information on the campaign and local opportunities to play cricket can be found at www.ecb.co.uk/play.
