Wednesday 10 July 2019 17:04, UK
Over one million children aged five to 12 are estimated to have connected with cricket during the World Cup, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board and International Cricket Committee.
Ambassadors Jonathan Trott and Danielle Hazell helped celebrate the milestone at Yorkmead Primary School in Birmingham with schoolchildren who will join the England and Australia players on the pitch for the national anthems at Thursday's semi-final.
Initiatives including Cricket World Cup Club Family Days, the Cricket World Cup Schools Programme and fan zone activations have helped showcase the tournament.
In addition, over 700,000 kids and 12,000 teachers from thousands of schools across the country have engaged with cricket through partnerships with the Chance to Shine charity and Kwik Cricket competitions.
Over 12,000 kids have experienced the thrilling spectacle of the Cricket World Cup first-hand thanks to free tickets.
ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: "We set ourselves the ambitious target of connecting with one million young people and we are delighted to have met our goal ahead of time.
"This has only been possible thanks to the hard work of people right across the game. Our five-year strategy, Inspiring Generations, will build on this as we look to continue to grow the game and engage more young people in the sport."
ECB Director of Participation & Growth, Nick Pryde, added: "It's crucial to connect with young people and hopefully spark in them a passion for the sport. The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup has given us a great platform to engage kids in the game. We now need to make playing as accessible as possible which is why a major part of our strategic plan is to double participation in primary schools by 2024."
Later this year the ECB will launch a major new schools strategy with the aim of doubling cricket participation in primary schools - bringing cricket to the playgrounds and playing fields of schools across England and Wales.
ECB will also invest £20m to transform the women's and girls' game, creating a clear pathway from young girls playing All Stars Cricket to the England cricket team.
Watch England take on Australia in the second semi-final from 9.30am on Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket World Cup.
