Dubai, April 6 : The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday unveiled its ‘2022 Champions’, with 38 industry leaders signing on to support a global celebration of Australia’s cultural diversity through the event. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is the biggest global sporting event to be held in Australia this year, with 16 nations competing in 45 matches across seven host cities from October 16 to November 13. With less than 200 days to go until the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 gets underway, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has unveiled its ‘2022 Champions’, who will aim to inspire a legacy of inclusion and belonging long after the winner is crowned at the MCG on November 13. An inspirational group of 38 leaders from a broad cross-section of comm ties around the country have committed their support as a ‘2022 Champion’, to advocate for inclusion and diversity using the powerful platform of a home T20 World Cup. With 16 international teams, featuring 45 matches being played across seven host cities, the T20 World Cup will provide a que opport ty to connect cricket-loving comm ties together, showcasing multicultural Australia. Champions include current Australian Test batter, Usman Khawaja, Adelaide Strikers’ Fawad Ahmed and Jason Gillespie, former Australian Women’s players Mel Jones OAM and Lisa Sthalekar, as well as chefs and restaurateurs, Adam Liaw, Diana Chan and Kishwar Chowdhury, and the Chair of CEF Australia, Ann Sherry AO. Of the 38 ‘2022 Champions’, 18 have returned for the men’s event having supported the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup initiative in 2020. Their support helped create a groundswell of momentum for women’s sport in Australia, which culminated in a record 86,174 fans packing the MCG for the Final between Australia and India on International Women’s Day. Current Australian cricketer and 2022 Champion Usman Khawaja said, “Sport breaks down barriers, I couldn’t speak English when I came to Australia and sport was the one thing that always enabled me to comm cate and engage with others even though I couldn’t speak the language,” Khawaja said “There’s no better place to celebrate cultural diversity than Australia, so at the T20 World Cup we just want to see people having fun, no matter where you are from or who you support,” he said. Chair of CEF Australia, Ann Sherry AO, said, “Seeing our cultural diversity on the pitch is key to how we see ourselves and how we engage with all cultural groups who are part of the broader cricket comm ty – it is a powerful symbol of inclusion.” “Sport gives visibility to capability, so the fact that it comes in many different backgrounds and profiles, in front of a wide audience, makes diversity visible and positive,” Sherry said. Local Organising Committee CEO, Michelle Enright, said, “On behalf of the ICC and the entire LOC, we are incredibly grateful to each and every Champion who has joined our team to embrace and celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity through the shared love of cricket.” “After the success of the women’s program and seeing the positive impact it made on women’s and girls’ sport in this country, I’m excited to see what we can achieve this year as people start reconnecting with their comm ty and look forward to new experiences together,” Enright said. “We know sport has an unparalleled power to te people, so we want to harness this energy to ensure the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is a truly inclusive event where fans of all ages, backgrounds and generations can come together and celebrate,” she said. “This Champions program goes to the heart of Cricket Australia’s philosophy of being a sport for all Australians, so once again I’d like to thank our Champions for their support and I can’t wait to work alongside them to share stories, learn about different cultures and connect through cricket,” Enright added. BM