Bhutan national cricket team
The Kingdom of Bhutan has two national cricket teams, male and female, that compete in international cricket. Both are organised by the Bhutan Cricket Council Board, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001[6] and an associate member in 2017.[2] Bhutan's male team, The Dragons, made its international debut in 2003, at the Emerging Nations Tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The team has since regularly participated in ACC tournaments, and also in two World Cricket League events, WCL Division Eight in 2010 and 2012.[7] Bhutan women's national cricket team, The Lady Dragons, made its international debut at the 2009 ACC Women's Twenty20 Championship in Malaysia.
 | ||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Dragons | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Bhutan Cricket Council Board | |||||||||
| Personnel | ||||||||||
| Captain | Jigme Singye | |||||||||
| Coach | Damber Singh Gurung[1] | |||||||||
| International Cricket Council | ||||||||||
| ICC status | Associate member[2] (2017) | |||||||||
| ICC region | Asia | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
| International cricket | ||||||||||
| First international | v Bhutan v. Maldives  (Kirtipur, Nepal; 6 March 2003) | |||||||||
| Twenty20 Internationals | ||||||||||
| First T20I | v  Nepal at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur; 5 December 2019 | |||||||||
| Last T20I | v Maldives at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur; 7 December 2019 | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
| As of 24 September 2020 | ||||||||||
The Dechephu Lhakhang (temple) in Thimphu is the spiritual home of Bhutan Cricket and players visit before every tournament . “We do not pray for victory”, said national captain Damber Singh Gurung, “we pray for each other to give our best and to emerge complete from the competition.”[8]
History
Bhutan Cricket Council Board became an affiliate member of the ICC in 2001. They made their ACC Trophy debut at the 2004 tournament, where they made the quarter finals.
They again competed at the ACC Trophy in 2006 but were eliminated in the first round after a series of heavy defeats. Their only win came against newcomers Myanmar.
Following the 2006 ACC Trophy, the tournament was split into two divisions: Elite and Challenge. Bhutan took part in the 2009 ACC Trophy Challenge, where they were runners up. This result qualified them for the next ACC Trophy Elite as well as Division Eight of the World Cricket League.
2018-Present
In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Bhutan and other ICC members after 1 January 2019 will be a full T20I.[9]
Bhutan played their first T20I on 5 December 2019, against Nepal, during the 2019 South Asian Games.
v |
||
Gyanendra Malla 107 (55) Karma Dorji 2/45 (4 overs) |
Ranjung Mikyo Dorji 27 (23) Paras Khadka 2/11 (4 overs) |
- Bhutan won the toss and elected to field.
- First ever T20I match for Bhutan.
Tournament history
World Cricket League
- 2010 Division Eight: 7th place – relegated
- 2012 Division Eight: 8th place – relegated
ACC Trophy
- 2004: Quarter finals
- 2006: 13th place
- 2010 Elite: 8th place
ACC Trophy Challenge
- 2009: 2nd place
In December 2011 took part in the ACC Twenty20 Cup in Nepal which served as qualifier for 2012 ICC World Twenty20.[11]
Records and Statistics
International Match Summary — Bhutan[12]
Last updated 7 December 2019
| Playing Record | ||||||
| Format | M | W | L | T | NR | Inaugural Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty20 Internationals | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 December 2019 |
Twenty20 International
- Highest team total: 117/7 v Maldives, 7 December 2019 at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur[13]
- Highest individual score: 40, Jigme Singye v Maldives, 7 December 2019 at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur[14]
- Best individual bowling figures: 2/45, Karma Dorji v Nepal, 7 December 2019 at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur[15]
T20I record versus other nations[12]
Records complete to T20I #1021. Last updated 7 December 2019.
| Opponent | M | W | L | T | NR | First match | First win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Associate Members | |||||||
| Maldives | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 December 2019 | |
| Nepal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 December 2019 | |
References
- Vishal Yadav (Bhutan - Damber Singh Gurung - Coach & National Player Archived 26 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine – Global Cricket Community. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- "Ireland and Afghanistan ICC newest full members amid wide-ranging governance reform". International Cricket Council. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
- "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
- "T20I matches - 2021 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
- Country: Bhutan – CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- Other matches played by Bhutan – CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- "About Us | Bhutan Cricket Council Board". Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "National cricket team wins first international title". Kuensel Online. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- "Records / Bhutan / Twenty20 Internationals / Result summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- "Records / Bhutan / Twenty20 Internationals / Highest totals". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Records / Bhutan / Twenty20 Internationals / High scores". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Records / Bhutan / Twenty20 Internationals / Best bowling figures". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2019.