Egypt national cricket team

Cricket was first played in Egypt in the 3rd century, and a cricket club was formed in Alexandria by British residents in 1851. Cricket was very much a recreational activity until the opening of the Suez Canal saw the British population increase (see History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty).[1]

More clubs were established by the military, who began to dominate the local game. In October 1884, a combined Army and Navy team played against A Shaw's XI[2] who were on their way to Australia for an Ashes tour.[1]

By 1909, cricket had become the main sporting and social activity of the British population, and standards were good enough for the Marylebone Cricket Club to send a team to tour in 1909. A national side was raised for the first time, and the MCC played three matches against them, winning two and losing the other.[1] They also played matches against local clubs in addition to teams representing the military and civilian populations.[3]

I Zingari toured in March 1914. They played three matches against the national side in addition to matches against Cairo and Alexandria Cricket Club.[4] The matches against the national side saw two draws[5][6] and one win for the tourists.[7] A return visit of sorts took place later in the year with a combined Egypt/Sudan team playing the MCC at Lord's in a two-day match. The MCC won by ten wickets.[8]

The Free Foresters were the third tourists in 1927, playing twice against the national team,[9] losing the first match[10] and drawing the second.[11] One player in the Free Foresters team on the tour was Hubert Martineau,[10] who was to provide regular opposition for Egypt in the forthcoming years.[1]

Martineau took a team to Egypt every year between 1929 and 1939.[12] The tours typically included two matches against the national side in addition to matches against club and military teams.[13]

Although Egypt were playing matches regularly against Martineau's team, the quality of cricket in the country began to decline in the 1930s. As cricket was dominated by the military, the players changed often, leading to a lack of consistency. Players from the local civilian population were often ignored, and only one native Egyptian ever played for the team.[1]

Martineau's tours ceased with the outbreak of the Second World War, and whilst cricket was played in the country during the war, the matches were solely recreational activities for troops stationed in the country. The national team never played again after the war.[1]

Cricket along with rugby and squash was played at Victoria College Alexandra and Cairo.

Attempts were made to restart cricket, with an Egyptian club team touring England in 1951, playing the MCC at Lord's. Omar Sharif, the film star and bridge player, was a member of this team. The players in these clubs were from the upper classes and supported the Egyptian monarchy, leading to little support for cricket when the monarchy was abolished in 1953. The new government took no interest in the game and cricket began a steady decline, with schools stopping their teaching of the game.[1] Gezira Sporting Club played a match against Pakistan in 1954, but the match was ended early so that the Pakistan players could visit the pyramids and the Sphinx.[14]

Cricket grounds began to be built over, and it wasn't until the late 1990s that the game saw a resurgence amongst the Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and British expatriate communities.[1] As of 2001, attempts were being made to reintroduce cricket into schools.[15] A cricket league in Cairo was being played by April 2008[16] and it is hoped that Egypt will eventually take part in the North West African Championship.[17]

There is now an active cricket league which runs on a weekly basis. The games are usually played on a Friday and the 20:20 format is adhered to with the red ball. The cricket is mainly played by expats from Pakistan, India, UK and South Africa. The main cup which teams play for is the Munaf-Faisal cup named after the two most prominent promoters of cricket in Cairo for the last 8 years. The cricket is played in various including international schools, sports clubs and private grounds. There is not any attempt to widen the game to the Egyptian population. The game is played on various surfaces including plastic mats (to prevent damage to school grounds), cement pitches and carpet. The games are played with a very competitive yet friendly approach. The most successful team is the PCCA followed by the team of workers from the Saudi-German hospital. PCCA are the current defending champions with the upcoming final to be played in July 2017.