Tanzania national cricket team

The Tanzania national cricket team is the team that represents the United Republic of Tanzania in international cricket. Cricket has been played in what is now Tanzania since 1890, and the national side first played in 1951.[2] The Tanzania Cricket Association became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001,[3] having previously been part of the East and Central Africa Cricket Conference, which was a member of the ICC in its own right.

Tanzania
Nickname(s)The Cows
AssociationTanzania Cricket Association
Personnel
CaptainAbhik Patwa
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAssociate members (2001)
ICC regionAfrica
ICC Rankings Current[1] Best-ever
T20I 44th 38th (2-May-2019)
International cricket
First international Tanganyika v. Kenya 
(Nairobi; 1 December 1951)
As of 29 May 2020

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Tanzania and other ICC members after 1 January 2019 will be a full T20I.[4]

History

Beginnings of cricket in Tanzania

Cricket was first played in what is now Tanzania on the island of Zanzibar by the British Navy as recreation for the officers and crew. Cricket spread to Tanganyika after the British took over the League of Nations mandate in 1919.[2]

Cricket began to be concentrated mostly on the coast and on Zanzibar, with particular development in Dar-es-Salaam. The Indian population quickly took up the game and by the 1930s formed the majority of the players, with a significant European minority.[2]

Early matches

Distance between Tanganyika and other countries in the African Great Lakes meant that the first international was not played until 1951, when Tanganyika lost by an innings to Kenya. Occasional matches against Kenya and Uganda continued throughout the 1950s[2] and Zanzibar also played matches against Uganda, beginning in 1956.[5]

Other opponents from further afield also toured, with Tanganyika playing the MCC in 1957[6] and 1963,[7] a South African Non-Europeans side in 1958 (who also played Zanzibar)[8] and Pakistan International Airlines in 1964.[9] The occasional matches against Kenya and Uganda eventually led to a formal triangular tournament being introduced in 1967, later to become a quadrangular tournament with the addition of Zambia.[2]

Decline

As many businesses were nationalised in the early 1970s, much of the Indian and British population began to left the country. Cricketers, including John Solanky, who went on to play for Glamorgan, were amongst those who left the country, and standards went into decline.[2]

Since the 1970s, the Tanzania Cricket Association has concentrated on developing the game amongst the African communities, and the national side now contains between 20–25% African players. The national side returned to form in the mid-1990s, when they were runners-up in two Africa-wide tournaments in 1994 and 1995, though there was again a slight decline in the late 1990s.[2]

ICC membership

The Tanzania Cricket Association became an associate member of the ICC in 2001[3] (Tanzania had previously played international cricket as part of the combined East Africa and East and Central Africa teams) opening up new opportunities for Tanzanian cricket. The first matches for the national side as an ICC member were in the 2002 Africa Cup[2] where they lost all four of their matches.[10]

They showed improvement by the Africa Cricket Association Championship in 2004, where they still finished last, but did beat Zambia in the final match of the tournament, which was a qualifying event for the 2005 ICC Trophy.[11] Even more improvement was shown in the equivalent tournament two years later, when they won Division Two of the World Cricket League Africa Region.[12] This result qualified Tanzania for Division Three of the World Cricket League in Darwin in 2007. Tanzania finished sixth in that tournament after losing to Hong Kong in a play-off, which relegated them to Division Four.[13]

In 2008, Tanzania hosted Division Four of the World Cricket League. In this tournament they finished fourth, which meant that they remained in Division Four for the next tournament in 2010, played in Italy, where they came 4th again, thus remaining for 2012 ICC World Cricket League Division Four

Tournament history

World Cup

World Cricket League

ICC World Cup Qualifier

World Cricket League Africa Region

  • Division Two 2006: Winners[12]

Records

Performances by Tanzanian cricketers in World Cricket League since 2007

Current Players
Name Matches Runs Wickets
Vicky Sharma30245985
Abhik Patwa285274
Ally Kimote15585
Benson Nyaikini611914
Riziki Kiseto2314911
Arshaan Jasani5480
Khalil Rehmtullah3028737
Hamisi Abdallah2932321
Seif Abdul10933
Nasibu Mapunda131591
Enjo Kiongozi4320
Rashidi Amiri9510
Kishen Kamania110
Salum Jumbe100
Former Players
Name Matches Runs Wickets
Issa Kikasi2315514
Benson Mwita2231724
Shaheed Dhanani161940
Seif Khalifa132550
Athumani Kakonzi1126414
Rishen Patel112030
Enjo Seti9480
Hasnain Damji7113
Harsh Ramaiya744
Zamoyoni Jabeneke6121
Bhavesh Govind3255
Nassoro Saidi230

Highest Scores

Athumani Kakonzi - 82 vs Cayman Islands at Tracy Village Oval, Darwin on 27 May 2007

Seif Khalifa - 72 vs Argentina at Centro Sportivo Dozza, Bologna on 19 August 2010

Abhik Patwa - 67 vs Malaysia at Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur on 10 September 2012

Kassim Nassoro - 66* vs Nigeria at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur on 13 March 2014

Benson Nyaikini - 60 vs Nigeria at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur on 13 March 2014

Best Bowling Figures

Kassim Nassoro - 6/42 vs Argentina at Centro Sportivo Dozza, Bologna on 19 August 2010

Benson Nyaikini - 4/14 vs Cayman Islands at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur on 12 March 2014

Benson Mwita - 4/23 vs Uganda at Nightcliff Oval, Darwin on 28 May 2007

Khalil Rehmtullah - 4/32 vs Italy at University Ground, Dar-es-Salaam on 11 October 2008

Hamisi Abdullah - 4/34 vs Nigeria at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur on 13 March 2014


  • Highest team total: 406/8 v Uganda, 7 September 1968[2][14]
  • Highest individual score: 195 by Suresh Rawal v Kenya, 5 September 1970[2][15]
  • Best innings bowling: 7/5 by Shashikant Patel for Tanganyika v Kenya, 23 July 1960[2][16]

Players

Recent squad

The following players are recently representing Tanzania in 2016 ICC World Cricket League Division Five.

Other players

The following players played for Tanzania or Tanganyika and also played first-class or List A cricket:

See also

References

  1. "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
  2. Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
  3. Tanzania at CricketArchive
  4. "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  5. Uganda in Zanzibar 1956 at CricketArchive
  6. Scorecard of Tanganyika v MCC, 28 December 1957 at CricketArchive
  7. MCC in East Africa 1963/64 at CricketArchive
  8. South African Non-Europeans in East Africa 1958/59 at CricketArchive
  9. Pakistan International Airlines in East Africa 1964 at CricketArchive
  10. 2002 Africa Cup at CricketEurope
  11. Africa qualifying for the 2005 ICC Trophy at tournament official website
  12. Points Table for ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division Two 2006 at CricketArchive
  13. Uganda lift Division Three title by Andrew Nixon, 2 June 2007 at CricketEurope
  14. East African Quadrangular Tournament 1968 at CricketArchive
  15. Scorecard of Kenya v Tanzania, 5 September 1970 at CricketArchive
  16. Kenya in Tanganyika 1970 at CricketArchive
  17. Pranlal Divecha at CricketArchive
  18. Praful Mehta at CricketArchive
  19. CD Patel at CricketArchive
  20. RD Patel at CricketArchive
  21. Malcolm Ronaldson at CricketArchive
  22. John Solanky at CricketArchive
  23. Shiraz Sumar at CricketArchive
  24. Vasant Tapu at CricketArchive
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