Saturday 06 / June / 2026
MUSCAT: Oman Cricket (OC) has been named Asia’s winner in the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year category, earning a place among the global nominees for the prestigious ICC Development Awards 2025 and further cementing the Sultanate's growing reputation as one of cricket's most innovative emerging nations.
The honour, announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as part of its ICC Development Awards 2025 on Friday, places Oman among a select group of regional winners who will now compete for global honours to be announced in July.
The award recognises the innovative use of digital platforms, campaigns and technology to drive fan engagement, with Oman emerging as Asia's standout performer in the category ahead of several other Associate cricketing nations.
The other continental winners who will vie along with Oman for the Global Award are Cricket Namibia (Africa), Cricket Canada (Americas), Japan Cricket Association (East Asia-Pacific), and Cricket Scotland (Europe).
Alkesh Joshi, senior OC board member and treasurer, described the recognition as a landmark achievement for the organisation and a validation of its long-term strategy to grow the game through meaningful audience engagement.
"This recognition by the ICC is a proud milestone for Oman Cricket and a powerful validation of our long-term vision to transform how the game engages with audiences," Joshi said.
"Our focus on organic growth and platform-native storytelling reflects a broader ambition—not just to grow numbers, but to build meaningful, lasting connections with cricket communities in Oman and across the world."
Joshi noted that the latest achievement builds on Oman Cricket's growing international reputation, following its global recognition in 2023 for the ICC's Best Women's Cricket Development Programme.
"Building on our 2023 global award for the best Women's Cricket Development Programme, this achievement signals the emergence of Oman Cricket as a progressive force shaping the future of the sport in associate nations," he said.
"As we move to the global stage, we remain committed to innovation, inclusivity, and expanding cricket's reach in ways that inspire the next generation of players and fans in Oman."
He added that Oman Cricket is also looking to broaden its engagement with Arabic-speaking audiences.
"To expand our outreach, we have also added capabilities in Arabic media and going forward we would like to expand cricket's outreach to the Arabic audience as well," Joshi said.
The ICC Development Awards, established in 2002, recognise and celebrate outstanding work undertaken by ICC Associate Members to grow cricket around the world. The awards honour achievements across development initiatives, women's cricket, team performances, digital engagement and social impact programmes.
Among other major regional winners, the Emirates Cricket Board secured four nominations across different categories, while Indonesia also claimed four honours in the East Asia-Pacific region as the ICC announced 30 ICC Development Awards 2025 regional winners across six categories. Brazil and Japan were also repeat winners and will each contest three Global Awards. The regional winners came from 20 ICC members, who now advance to Global Award contention.
