Fiji national cricket team

Last updated

Fiji
Cricket Fiji logo.png
Association Cricket Fiji
Personnel
CaptainJone Wesele
History
First-class debutv Auckland at Auckland Domain; 25 January 1895
International Cricket Council
ICC status Associate member (1965)
ICC region East Asia-Pacific
ICC RankingsCurrent [1] Best-ever
T20I 66th 48th (12 May 2019)
International cricket
First internationalv Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia at Suva, Fiji; 27 March 1905
One Day Internationals
World Cup Qualifier appearances7 (first in 1979 )
Best result11th place (1997)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu at Independence Park, Port Vila; 9 September 2022
Last T20Iv Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa at Albert Park Ground 1, Suva; 18 March 2023
T20IsPlayedWon/Lost
Total [2] 10 5/5
(0 ties, 0 no results)
This year [3] 0 0/0
(0 ties, 0 no results)
As of 1 January 2024

The Fiji national cricket team is the men's team that represents Fiji in international cricket. Fiji has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1965, [4] although the team's history goes back to the late 19th century. [5]

Contents

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Fiji and other ICC members since 1 January 2019 have the T20I status. [6]

History

Early days

Cricket was introduced to Fiji by European settlers in 1874, and the native population began taking up the game in 1878. The governor of Fiji at the time listed introducing cricket to the native Fijians as one of the achievements of his tenure in his memoirs. [5]

Early tours

Fiji was playing first-class cricket just 21 years after cricket was introduced to the country, when they toured New Zealand in early 1895. [7]

1895 tour of New Zealand

Fiji's team on the tour in 1895 was captained by John Udal, [8] whose great-grandson Shaun would eventually play Test cricket for England. [9] The first match of the tour was a two-day match against Auckland, which Fiji lost by an innings. [10]

A low scoring second match against Otago was drawn after rain washed out the first of the two days. [11] The third match against Canterbury was also lost by an innings, [12] before a draw against Wellington. [13]

The final two matches of the tour went much better for the Fijians, winning against Hawke's Bay by an innings after a century from John Collins, [14] and beating Taranaki by two wickets. [15]

1907–08 tour of Australia

In 1907–08, Fiji toured Australia, playing 26 matches against state, university and district sides between 11 December 1907 and 30 March 1908. [16] In the drawn two-day match against Queensland, Pope Cakobau took 7 for 105 and 3 for 56. [17] The Fijian team also played a two-day match against New South Wales and two against Victoria. All four of these matches were drawn.

1923–24 New Zealand tour of Fiji

A New Zealand team captained by Walter Harvie, and consisting mostly of players from Auckland, toured Fiji in March and April 1924, playing five matches, including two three-day matches against Fiji. None of the matches were first-class. [18] [19]

1935–36 New Zealand tour of Fiji

A young New Zealand team captained by Bruce Massey, known as the Maorilanders, toured Fiji in December 1935 and January 1936, playing nine matches, including two three-day matches against Fiji. None of the matches were first-class. [20] [21] [22]

Post War period

Fiji toured New Zealand twice more, in 1948 [23] and 1954. [24] Fiji's first match against a Test-playing nation came in 1956, when the West Indies visited. Fiji won the match against a team featuring the likes of Garfield Sobers by 28 runs despite being bowled out for 91, largely thanks to a six wicket haul from John Gosling. [25]

1948 tour of New Zealand

Like the tour in 1895, the 1948 tour started with a defeat to Auckland, by 168 runs. [26] Fiji won their next match against Wellington by one wicket, [27] before losing to Canterbury by 36 runs. [28]

The tour continued with a 46 run defeat by Otago [29] and concluded with a 115 run win against Auckland. [30] One notable player for Fiji on this tour was IL Bula, who scored the most runs and the only century on the tour. [31] Bula's full name is Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau, and his name is thought to be the longest of any first class cricketer. [32]

1954 tour of New Zealand

Just four matches were played on the 1954 tour, [24] which started with a two wicket defeat to Otago. [33] The tour continued with another two wicket defeat, this time to Canterbury, [34] before a 117 run defeat to Wellington. [35] The tour ended with a seven wicket win against Auckland. [36] The team included Ratu Kamisese Mara who would go on to become the Prime Minister and President of Fiji.

1983–84 England visit to Fiji

An England XI played two limited-over matches against the Fiji Cricket Association President's XI in 1984. [37] Basically this was the full England squad of the day on its way to tour New Zealand. [38] The England side won both matches although they were given a serious scare in the second, the Fijian side losing by only 18 runs. [39]

ICC membership

Fiji gained associate membership of the ICC in 1965. [4] They played in the first ICC Trophy tournament in 1979, and played in every one until 2001. [40] They also played in the first ACC Trophy in 1996, losing in the semi-final to the UAE. [41]

In 2001, Fiji played in the first Pacifica Cup in Auckland, reaching the final where they lost to the New Zealand Māori by three wickets. [42] They played in the 2002 tournament in Samoa, finishing third after beating the Cook Islands in a play-off. [43]

In 2003, Fiji hosted the South Pacific Games. The cricket tournament saw the hosts lose to Papua New Guinea in the final. [44] The following year, they took part in the EAP Challenge in Fuji City, Japan, winning after beating Tonga in the final. This qualified them for the repêchage tournament for the 2005 ICC Trophy. [45] At that tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they reached the final, where they lost to Papua New Guinea by 30 runs, thus missing out on the 2005 ICC Trophy. [46]

In 2006, Fiji played in the 2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy in Brisbane, Australia. They won the tournament winning all of their matches against the Cook Islands and Japan, qualifying them for Division Three of the World Cricket League in Darwin, Australia. They warmed up for the tournament with a three match series at home against Vanuatu, winning all three matches, [47] but were unsuccessful in the tournament itself, losing all five games they played, [48] thus meaning they will have to take part in Division Four in 2008. [49]

Later in 2007, they took part in the cricket tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games, losing to Papua New Guinea in the final group game, meaning that they went home with the silver medal. [50]

Fiji took part in the 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Nepal, where they finished sixth and last and in doing so failed to win a single match in the tournament. Fiji then played in the 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Six and finished sixth and last and in doing so were relegated to 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven.

Tournament history

World Cricket League

ICC Trophy

ACC Trophy

South Pacific Games

ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier

Records

International Match Summary — Fiji [59]

Last updated 18 March 2023

Playing Record
FormatMWLTNRInaugural Match
Twenty20 Internationals1055009 September 2022

Twenty20 International

T20I record versus other nations [59]

OpponentMWLTNRFirst matchFirst win
vs Associate Members
Flag of the Cook Islands.svg  Cook Islands 2110010 September 202210 September 2022
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa 4400011 September 202211 September 2022
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu 404009 September 2022

Records complete to T20I #2029. Last updated 18 March 2023.

Other records

For a list of selected international matches played by Fiji, see Cricket Archive.

Players

Fiji's most famous player is Neil Maxwell, who played first-class cricket for New South Wales and Victoria in Australia, and for Canterbury in New Zealand in addition to representing Australia A. [60] Nat Uluiviti is the other Fijian to have played first-class cricket for a team other than Fiji, playing for Auckland in the 1950s. [61]

Current squad

The Fiji squad at the 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament was as follows:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand national cricket team</span> Mens international cricket team

The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Nicknamed the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 New Zealand had to wait until 1956, more than 26 years, for its first Test victory, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch. New Zealand are the inaugural champions of WTC which they won in 2021 and they have also won ICC CT in 2000. They have played in the CWC final twice and the T20 WC final once.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya national cricket team</span> Mens team representing the Republic of Kenya in international cricket

The Kenya men's national cricket team represents the Republic of Kenya in international cricket. Kenya is an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which has Twenty20 International (T20I) status after the ICC granted T20I status to all its members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong national cricket team</span> National cricket team in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong men's national cricket team is the team that represents Hong Kong in international competitions. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uganda national cricket team</span> Cricket team

The Uganda national cricket team, nicknamed the Cricket Cranes, is the men's team that represents Uganda in international cricket. The team is organised by the Uganda Cricket Association, which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands national cricket team</span> Sports team representing the Netherlands

The Netherlands men's national cricket team, usually referred as "The Flying Dutchmen " is a team that represents the Netherlands in men's international cricket and is administered by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papua New Guinea national cricket team</span> Mens cricket team representing Papua New Guinea

The Papua New Guinea men's national cricket team, nicknamed the Barramundis, is the team that represents the country of Papua New Guinea in international cricket. The team is organised by Cricket PNG, which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1973. Papua New Guinea previously had One-Day International (ODI) status, which it gained by finishing fourth in 2014 World Cup Qualifier. Papua New Guinea lost both their ODI and T20I status in March 2018 after losing a playoff match against Nepal during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, a result that earned ODI and T20I status for their opponents. On 26 April 2019, Papua New Guinea defeated Oman to secure a top-four finish in the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two and reclaim their ODI status.

Todd Duncan Astle is a former New Zealand cricketer who played for the New Zealand national cricket team. Astle began his cricket career as an opening batsman, representing New Zealand in the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, but over time playing first-class cricket for Canterbury, he morphed into a bowling all-rounder. He made his Test cricket debut for New Zealand in 2012 in Sri Lanka, but did not play another international match until 2015. He represented New Zealand in all three forms of the game, but was unable to keep a consistent place in the team in any format because of regular injury problems and competition with other spin bowlers. In January 2020, Astle retired from first-class cricket to focus on limited-overs cricket. In February 2023 he retired from all forms of professional cricket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Southee</span> New Zealand cricketer

Timothy Grant Southee, is a New Zealand international cricketer who plays for New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game, captain in Tests and vice captain in T20Is. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. The third New Zealand bowler to take 300 Test wickets, he was one of the country's youngest cricketers, debuting at the age of 19 in February 2008. On his Test debut against England he took 5 wickets and made 77 off 40 balls in the second innings. He plays for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash as well as Northland in the Hawke Cup. He was named as New Zealand's captain for the first T20I against West Indies in place of Kane Williamson, who was rested for that game. The Blackcaps won that match by 47 runs. Southee was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. Southee currently has the highest (international) test batting strike rate among the batsmen with a minimum of 2000 test runs. His (batting) career strike rate is 83.12. He was also a part of the New Zealand squad to finish as runners-up at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Nathan Leslie McCullum is a New Zealand former international cricketer who represented the national team in One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket. A right-arm off-break bowler, he played domestically for Otago between the 1999–2000 and 2015–16 seasons. He was also a part of the New Zealand squad to finish as runners-up at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Mitchell John McClenaghan is a New Zealand former international cricketer who played One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals for the national team. Domestically, he played for Central Districts, Auckland and Otago as a left-arm medium-fast bowler. He was also a part of the New Zealand squad to finish as runners-up at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namibia national cricket team</span> Cricket team

The Namibia men's national cricket team, nicknamed the Eagles, is the men's team that represents the Republic of Namibia in international cricket. It is organised by Cricket Namibia, which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1992.

Mark Sinclair Chapman is a Hong Kong-born New Zealand international cricketer who has played limited over internationals for Hong Kong and New Zealand. Currently playing for New Zealand, Chapman is a left-handed batsman who bowls occasional slow left-arm orthodox. He made his One Day International debut for Hong Kong against the United Arab Emirates in the 2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship on 16 November 2015. He is eligible to represent New Zealand through his father. In February 2018, he made T20I and ODI debuts for New Zealand against England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian cricket team in New Zealand and Fiji in 1904–05</span> International cricket tour

An Australian team toured New Zealand and Fiji from February to April 1905 to play four first-class matches including two against New Zealand, which had not then attained Test status. Although it was the fifth Australian team to tour New Zealand, it was the first one to play matches on even terms, which therefore have first-class status. On previous tours all matches had been against teams of 15, 18 or 22 players. As well as the two matches against New Zealand, the Australians played first-class matches against Canterbury and Otago. The other games were non-first-class against Auckland, Wellington and Fiji.

Christopher Mark Brown, commonly known as Chris Brown, is a former Cook Islands cricketer, who previously played representative cricket for Auckland at New Zealand domestic level. Born in Rarotonga, Brown played his early cricket for Auckland under-age teams, and went on to represent the New Zealand national under-19s in several matches as a right-arm fast bowler. Making his first-class debut during the 1993–94 season of the Shell Trophy, he took ten wickets in his debut match, and represented the New Zealand Cricket Academy twice later in the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samoa women's national cricket team</span> Cricket team

The Samoan women's national cricket team, nicknamed the Nafanua, represents the country of Samoa in international women's cricket. It is organised by the game's governing body in the country, the Samoa International Cricket Association (SICA).

Cole McConchie is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Canterbury as an all-rounder. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in September 2021.

Glenn Dominic Phillips is a New Zealand cricketer, born in South Africa, who represents the New Zealand national cricket team and plays for Otago domestically. He made his international debut for New Zealand in February 2017. In December 2015, he was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In December 2017, his younger brother, Dale was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Harrington Broad</span> New Zealand cricketer

Charles Harrington Broad was a New Zealand cricketer, rugby union player, and school teacher. He played eight first-class cricket matches for Nelson and Otago between 1888 and 1900, three representative games for the Nelson rugby team in 1894 and 1895, and was headmaster of Nelson College from 1922 to 1933.

Sean Solia is a New Zealand-Samoan cricketer. He has played international cricket for Samoa, and since 2016 has played in New Zealand domestic cricket for Auckland.

The 2020–21 Ford Trophy was the 50th season of The Ford Trophy, the List A cricket tournament that was played in New Zealand. It was the tenth in a sponsorship deal between New Zealand Cricket and Ford Motor Company. It started on 29 November 2020 and finished on 6 March 2021. Auckland were the defending champions.

References

  1. ↑ "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
  2. ↑ "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. ↑ "T20I matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  4. 1 2 Fiji at CricketArchive
  5. 1 2 "Fiji Cricket Association: History". SportsTG. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council . 26 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Fiji in New Zealand, 1894/95 Archived 4 September 2004 at the Wayback Machine at Cricket Archive
  8. ↑ "A century in the Fiji islands". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  9. ↑ John Udal at Cricket Archive
  10. ↑ Scorecard of Auckland v Fiji, 25 January 1895 at Cricket Archive
  11. ↑ Scorecard of Otago v Fiji, 1 February 1895 at Cricket Archive
  12. ↑ Scorecard of Canterbury v Fiji, 8 February 1895 at Cricket Archive
  13. ↑ Scorecard of Wellington v Fiji, 15 February 1895 at Cricket Archive
  14. ↑ Scorecard of Hawke's Bay v Fiji, 19 February 1895 at Cricket Archive
  15. ↑ Scorecard of Taranaki v Fiji, 22 February 1895 at Cricket Archive
  16. ↑ Fiji in Australia, 1907-08 at CricketArchive
  17. ↑ Scorecard of Queensland v Fiji, 1 January 1908 at CricketArchive
  18. ↑ "Fiji Cricket Tour: Five games to be played". Auckland Star. LV (76): 7. 29 March 1924. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  19. ↑ "Cricketers in Fiji". Auckland Star. LV (101): 9. 30 April 1924. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  20. ↑ "N.Z. team for Fiji: Leaves by Niagara tomorrow". Auckland Star. LXVI (292): 18. 10 December 1935. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "Cricket in Fiji: Maoriland Team". New Zealand Herald. LXXIII (22322): 14. 21 January 1936. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  22. ↑ Bell, Jamie (8 July 2014). "The Maorilanders". NZ Cricket Museum. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  23. ↑ Fiji in New Zealand, 1947/48 at Cricket Archive
  24. 1 2 Fiji in New Zealand, 1953/54 at Cricket Archive
  25. ↑ Scorecard of Fiji v West Indies, 12 January 1956 at Cricket Archive
  26. ↑ Scorecard of Auckland v Fiji, 13 February 1948 at Cricket Archive
  27. ↑ Scorecard of Wellington v Fiji, 1 March 1948 at Cricket Archive
  28. ↑ Scorecard of Canterbury v Fiji, 5 March 1948 at Cricket Archive
  29. ↑ Scorecard of Otago v Fiji, 13 March 1948 at Cricket Archive
  30. ↑ Scorecard of Auckland v Fiji, 3 April 1948 at Cricket Archive
  31. ↑ First-class Batting and Fielding for Fiji in New Zealand 1947/48 at Cricket Archive
  32. ↑ IL Bula at Cricinfo
  33. ↑ Scorecard of Otago v Fiji, 12 February 1954 at Cricket Archive
  34. ↑ Scorecard of Canterbury v Fiji, 19 February 1954 at Cricket Archive
  35. ↑ Scorecard of Wellington v Fiji, 26 February 1954 at Cricket Archive
  36. ↑ Scorecard of Auckland v Fiji, 6 March 1954 at Cricket Archive
  37. ↑ England in Fiji, Jan 1984
  38. ↑ England in New Zealand, 1983-84
  39. ↑ Fiji Cricket Assoc. Pres. XI v England XI at Suva, 3 Jan 1984 (scores)
  40. ↑ ICC Trophy matches played by Fiji Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Cricket Archive
  41. 1 2 1996 ACC Trophy results summary at Cricinfo
  42. ↑ 2001 Pacifica Cup Archived 10 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  43. ↑ 2002 Pacifica Cup Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  44. 1 2 "Report from final of the 2003 South Pacific Games". Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
  45. ↑ EAP qualifying for the 2005 ICC Trophy at the official website of the 2005 ICC Trophy
  46. ↑ Scorecard of Fiji v Papua New Guinea, 27 February 2005 at Cricket Archive
  47. ↑ Vanuatu in Fiji, 2006/07 at Cricket Archive
  48. ↑ 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division Three Archived 24 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  49. ↑ WCL structure for 2006–2009
  50. 1 2 Papua New Guinea take home the gold, by Andrew Nixon, 2 September 2007 at CricketEurope
  51. ↑ 1979 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  52. ↑ 1982 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  53. ↑ 1986 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  54. ↑ 1990 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  55. ↑ 1994 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  56. ↑ 1997 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  57. ↑ 2001 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  58. ↑ 2005 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  59. 1 2 "Records / Fiji / Twenty20 Internationals / Result summary". ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  60. ↑ Neil Maxwell at Cricket Archive
  61. ↑ Nat Uluiviti at Cricket Archive
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.