“The participation growth is a fitting reflection on the hard work put in by so many around the country. Our clubs, associations and schools, our dedicated volunteers, coaches and umpires all make an invaluable contribution in ensuring the quality of the experience for those that pick up a bat and ball each season.
 
“Our coaching ranks have also increased substantially, with free community coaching courses in 2017-18 helping to raise our number of accredited coaches by more than 24 percent. Our umpiring numbers have remained consistent with 3,577 accredited umpires across Australia in 2017-18, but there continues to be opportunity.”
 
Other key statistics from the National Cricket Census include:
- Multicultural participation rose by 4 percent to 268,596, making up 22 percent of all participants
- Indigenous participation increased by 1 percent to 64,921 to make up 5.2 percent of all participants
- Participants with a disability remained constant at 25,846 making up 2.1 percent of all participants
- Accredited coaches increased by 24 percent to 34,380 and accredited umpires were constant at 3,577 

Sutherland added: “We are committed to being Australia’s number one participation sport, by providing the best learning and experiences, and these latest figures indicate we are striving for success in this area right across Australian Cricket.”