World Cricket Connects is a new invitation event for the most prominent thinkers, voices and influencers in the game. It will take place at Lord’s on Friday 5 July 2024.  

This is a forum designed for the leading voices in the game to discuss the health of cricket, and consider the path required for its future success. 

The most prominent and influential leaders will join forces at Lord’s later this year in what will be the first event of its kind to be held within cricket’s eco-system. The event is being hosted and funded by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to help shape cricket’s ongoing global success and provide balance across its huge spectrum of stakeholders. 

Cricket has never been at a more exciting and exacting stage. The game has more money and more opportunity than ever before and with that comes responsibility and the challenge of providing answers to many of the questions being contemplated all around the world. Leading the game into the future is a complex task but well within the means of those who currently run it. By bringing them together, we aim to address some of these questions and challenges, while celebrating the many successes. 

There are several keynote speakers, panellists and interviewees that have already been confirmed for the event, and several more will follow in the coming weeks and months.  

Confirmed speakers so far include Greg Barclay, Richard Thompson, Manoj Badale, Sanjog Gupta, Clare Connor, Brendon McCullum, Graeme Smith, Ravi Shastri, Mike Atherton, Ramiz Raja and Trudy Lindblade. 

World Cricket Connects will begin at Lord’s on Thursday 4 July with an evening drinks reception, in the days following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados.

The main body of the event will take place on Friday 5 July, with a full day of presentations, panel discussions and open forums in the famous Grade II* Listed Pavilion, before an evening dinner in the Long Room. 

All attendees will be encouraged to network throughout the event and whilst the formal element of proceedings will cease on the evening of 5 July, guests will be welcome to use facilities at Lord’s on Saturday 6 July for formal or informal meetings. 

"This will be an opportunity to bring people together, to share ideas, outline problems and potential solutions and create some common goals"

Mark Nicholas, MCC President, said: “MCC is a neutral body that cares deeply about the game. We see an ideal opportunity, a few days after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados, to bring together many of cricket's leading decision-makers and thinkers in an attempt to try to find consensus on what the game can do better. 

“It's not wholly right to say that cricket is in trouble. In fact, in many ways, there is more growth and there are more opportunities than there have ever been. But, equally, there are challenges for Test cricket in particular and economic challenges for many of the countries outside of India, England and Australia.  

“This will be an opportunity to bring people together, to share ideas, outline problems and potential solutions and create some common goals.”