“The ECB is pleased to be involved in the creation of the initiative and we look forward to being part of an exciting inaugural awards evening.”
Online nominations will open on May 1, from which the winners will be chosen by a diverse panel of judges, ranging from former players to Baroness Warsi, who was in attendance at the launch.
Co-founder of the awards, Baljit Rihal, who also launched the Asian Football Awards last year, explained why he thinks the event is necessary.
“Aside from the people who play for England, like Moeen Ali, Monty Panesar and Ravi Bopara, this is about celebrating not only their achievements, but also the people in the background.”
Isa Guha, former England international cricketer and ambassador for the awards’ charity partner, the British Asian Trust, spoke of the importance of the inclusion of the Women in Cricket Award.
“I think it’s really important if you are trying to create equality by supporting Asian communities that there is a female award,” she said.
“Cricket is a religion in south Asian countries and you’ll often see families who are playing the park - the sisters, the mums they’re all getting involved and they love the game just as much as the men do.”
