Figures from the 2019 associate member census show a "huge leap" in the amount of cricket being played around the world, the governing body said.

Forty-nine men's and 29 women's teams played their first international in T20 last year.

There was a 110 per cent increase in associate member women's T20 matches while global participation is said to have risen by 14 per cent.

At present, the ICC has 92 associate members, which are countries where cricket is developing or emerging.

The ICC decided to award international status to all T20 matches between associate members in 2018.

They also introduced global rankings which they believe have had a "transformative" impact on the sport.

Associate members sit below the 12 full members of the ICC, which are the sport's powerhouse nations.

Eleven associate countries have qualified for ICC World Cups in 2020 while more regional events were added to the calendar last year.

Ninety-nine associate member players have also broken into the T20 international player rankings.

T20 is the shortest form of international cricket, with matches 20-overs per side.

"We are committed to growing cricket globally and we clearly identified T20 as the vehicle through which to do this," said ICC general manager for development William Glenwright.

"Awarding international status to every T20 match between members, introducing global rankings and new minimum standards to make it as easy as possible for members to play international cricket in a sustainable and affordable way were decisions we took with our minds focused on transformative growth.

"This combined with 23 global qualifying events that give members more opportunities to play more cricket and the $31.8 million (£24.5 million/€29 million) investment in direct funding to members last year is clearly paying off at both the international and grassroots ends of the participation pathway.

"We are incredibly proud of what our members have achieved during 2019 and credit must go to every member who seized the opportunity presented to them to accelerate the growth of our game in their respective territories."