In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, Cricket Australia conducted an annual poll to determine how many children between the ages of 5 and 12 had taken up the sport. Age-group cricket participation has decreased by 15,000 last season for the first time, which could lead to a "lost generation" of kids.
The lockdowns severely affected the game all over the world. The number of days spent in quarantine has been cut down thanks to ongoing efforts to put items back where they belong. While club players have returned in large numbers following the lockdown, the introduction of fresh talent into the game in Australia has been severely hampered.
James Allsop, Executive General Manager of Community Cricket, highlighted that it will be difficult to ensure that Australia does not lose a generation and discussed the importance of young players in the present. He emphasized the value of developing core skills early in life and stated that a player's likelihood of playing cricket decreases as they get older without playing age-group cricket.
“This has created a challenge to ensure there is not a missing generation and increased participation among 5-to-12 year-olds is a key component of Australian cricket’s soon-to-be-released strategy,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.