Australian cricket attracts record player increase

Cricket Australia is hoping next summer's Ashes will build on cricket's current capacity as the sport attracting the most new players. Figures released by Cricket Australia showed an "unprecedented" growth in participation of 11.3% since 2005, which it said was the most rapid increase of any sport over the past decade.

However, James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, told delegates of a nationwide development conference an extended vision was necessary to continue the trend. "Cricket will never have a better opportunity than with the coming Ashes series to achieve sustainable growth for the long term," Sutherland said.

"We have to be smart about how we use this opportunity as a platform for the future. Paramount to this is our ability to prioritise and balance our huge investments in grass-roots cricket and elite-level cricket. If we are serious about cricket being Australia's favourite and only truly national sport, we have to find ways to ensure all Australians have the opportunity to develop an affinity for the game."

Australia has 532,000 players and the sport achieved a 12.6% rise in traditional cricket over the past 12 months along with a 26% increase in entry-level participation. The Northern Territory's rate was 45.6% higher while metropolitan figures showed a 7.9% improvement.