“A global growth strategy for cricket is currently being developed and this research is a

significant cornerstone of that," says ICC Chief Executive David Richardson.

The average age of a cricket fan is 34 years
39% of fans are women and girls
More than 300 million participants
ICC to use research findings to guide strategic direction and to grow the game
Videos of ICC Chief Executive David Richardson and ICC Head of Media Rights, Broadcast and
Digital Aarti Dabas available for download from the Online Media Zone
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today unveiled the results of the largest ever market
research project into the sport which reveals cricket has over one billion fans (in the surveyed
age category of 16-69) globally, the average age of which is 34 with a demographic breakdown
of 61% male and 39% female.

The research was undertaken to enable the ICC and its Members to understand the growth
potential of cricket, help shape the development of the growth focused global strategy for the
game, drive decision making and to provide a benchmark upon which to measure the outcomes
of the strategy. It also supports the ICC and its Members in shaping and implementing their fan
engagement strategies and clearly presents cricket as a vibrant and popular sport globally.

The breakdown of cricket’s three different formats in the research showed two-thirds of fans
over the age of 16 who were interviewed are interested in all three international formats of the
game. The importance and popularity of ICC global events was evident with 95% of fans
interested or very interested, with the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC World T20 the most
popular.

David Richardson Interview

The ICC Chief Executive speaks about the global market research project.

The women’s game continues to gain momentum and on the back of the game-changing ICC
Women’s World Cup, two-thirds of cricket fans are interested in women’s cricket (68%) and the
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (65%) – in addition, 70% of fans want to see more live
coverage of women’s cricket.

Close to 70% fans are interested in Test cricket with fans in England & Wales showing the
strongest interest in this format (86%), South Africa lead the interest in ODI cricket (91%) and
Pakistan in T20I cricket (98%). Globally, T20I is the most popular format with 92% interest whilst
ODIs are close with 88% interest.

The research highlighted that cricket has a significant growth potential in both traditional and
non-traditional markets. The ICC will use the insight to guide decision-making and its approach
to growing fans and participants in cricket. The research study also identified more than 300
million active participants over the age of 16, ranging from occasional social players to the elite
level; this number is likely to grow significantly if under 16s are counted. These participants
highlighted the fun and sociability of the sport as well as the health benefits.

The World of Cricket - Global Market Research

The World of Cricket - Global Market Research

The main motivators for sports fans who are not currently interested in cricket to become fans
include a better understanding of the cricket calendar and making it an easier sport to follow,
which is being addressed in the global strategy for cricket currently being shaped across the
sport.

Fans were also asked about cricket and the Olympic Games with 87% of fans claiming they
would like to see Twenty20 cricket in the Olympic Games.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson speaks of the importance of undertaking this research.
“It is the first global market research project ever undertaken in the sport and having more than
one billion fans in the surveyed age category of 16-69 alone, with an average age of 34, is
undoubtedly an exciting and strong position from which we can drive the sport forward.

Aarti Dabas Interview

The ICC Head of Media Rights, Broadcast and Digital speaks about the global market research
project.

“There are opportunities to grow in both our traditional markets, where the focus will be on
attracting more women and girls, children and families, to the game, as well as non-traditional
cricket playing nations where there is clearly both interest and opportunity.

“A global growth strategy for cricket is currently being developed and this research is a
significant cornerstone of that, guiding our decision making and providing us with a benchmark
to measure progress as we look to drive long-term growth of the game.”

Cricket’s first global market research was conducted between Nov 2017-Jan 2018 by Nielsen
Sports and comprised over 19,000 interviews around the world including over 6,600 in-depth
interviews with cricket fans aged 16-69 years.