The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering China as a key target for growth, as the organization's leadership aims to attract new fans worldwide. Although South Asia accounts for about 90 percent of the more than billion cricket fans, the ICC is targeting an increase in the sport's fan base by 500 million and sees China's population of 1.4 billion people as a potentially huge audience.
ICC Chief Executive Officer Sanjog Gupta told AFP that the consistent success of the Chinese women's team has significantly contributed to the development of cricket in the country. China became a priority market after hosting cricket at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, as well as due to the progress of the national women's team, which climbed 10 positions in the world rankings over the last two years.
Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. In the ICC Women's T20 rankings, they hold a modest 36th place, while men are ranked 92nd. Furthermore, the women's team was excluded from the Asian Games on Thursday without playing a single match. Due to the wet pitch caused by rains in Nagoya, Japan, the quarter-final match between China and Bangladesh, who advanced to the semi-finals on the basis of best result, did not take place.
Despite this, China is one of several markets that the ICC considers critically important for expanding the appeal of cricket beyond traditional power centers such as South Asia, England, and Australia.
Future Growth
Over the past five years, the ICC has invested $1.5 million in China to promote the sport. Currently, there are three top-level cricket venues in the country, including a new 1,500-seat stadium in Taicang, which is intended to host both domestic and international matches, as well as serve as a training base for national teams.
The ICC has begun studying interest in the sport in China. Some matches of the Women's T20 World Cup were broadcast in Mandarin, and the final week of the Men's T20 World Cup 2026 garnered 4.4 million video views in China. China's potential is particularly important for the ICC because, unlike several younger cricket nations, its men's and women's teams consist predominantly of local players rather than players from South Asian communities.
Indonesia, a country with a population of about 280 million people, has also been identified as a high-potential growth market. Indonesia's men's team ranks 63rd in T20, and the women's team ranks 23rd.
Gupta noted: 'Even if parts of the population in China and Indonesia start to take an interest in this sport, they could provide the next leap in the scale of the cricket fandom.' He added that this could play a significant role in the sport's goal of adding 500 million fans to its global base, which is the stated objective of the ICC chairman.
Game Development
The ICC believes that the return of cricket to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 could be an additional stimulus, as medals will be awarded for men's and women's T20 tournaments for the first time since the sport's debut in 1900.
ICC's efforts to reach new markets have already yielded results elsewhere. Italy demonstrated the potential of another non-traditional market by debuting in the Men's T20 World Cup this year, defeating Nepal and getting closer to England.
The ICC initiative has support from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of the laws of the game. Rob Lynch, Director of Cricket and Operations at MCC, told AFP: 'MCC is very pleased to send the women's team on a tour of China in 2027.' He added that he views this tour as 'a huge opportunity for the development of the game in China.'