This is a list of current first-class cricket teams, organised first by country and then alphabetically. A first class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adjudged to be worthy of the status by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings each.
Where a team plays at more than one home ground, only their main ground is listed here.
National team: Afghanistan national cricket team 1
Beginning in 2017, Afghanistan domestic matches have had first-class and List A status.
Name | Home ground | Reference |
---|---|---|
Amo Region | n/a | |
Band-e-Amir Region | n/a | |
Boost Region | n/a | |
Kabul Green | Kabul National Cricket Stadium, Kabul | |
Mis Ainak Region | n/a | |
Speen Ghar Region | n/a |
National team: Australia national cricket team
Name | Home ground | Reference |
---|---|---|
Sheffield Shield teams | ||
New South Wales | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
Victoria | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne; Junction Oval, St Kilda | |
South Australia | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | |
Queensland | Brisbane Cricket Ground (the Gabba), Brisbane | |
Western Australia | WACA Ground, Perth | |
Tasmania | Bellerive Oval, Hobart | |
Other teams | ||
Cricket Australia XI | Allan Border Field, Queensland | Cricket Australia |
National team: Bangladesh national cricket team
Notes:
National team: England cricket team
National team: India national cricket team
Notes:
1 Rest of India (in the Irani Trophy), India A, and various President's XIs are also adjudged first-class.
2 Makeshift zonal teams are also made and guest teams like England lions also play.
Ireland's Inter-Provincial Championship received first-class status in October 2016 from the ICC. The first-class status for the matches came into effect with the 2017 Inter-Provincial Championship. [5] [6]
National team: Ireland cricket team
Name | Home ground | City |
---|---|---|
Interprovincial teams | ||
Leinster Lightning | Malahide Cricket Club Ground Clontarf Cricket Club Ground | Dublin |
Northern Knights | Stormont Cricket Ground | Belfast |
North West Warriors | Bready Cricket Ground | Magheramason, near Derry, Strabane |
National team: New Zealand national cricket team
National team: Pakistan national cricket team
National team: South Africa national cricket team
Notes:
1 Also considered first-class when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Sri Lanka national cricket team
National team: West Indies cricket team
Note: West Indies 'A' and West Indian XI matches are also considered first-class.
National team: Zimbabwe national cricket team [7]
The following countries play first-class cricket as an international team in certain circumstances.
National team: Hong Kong national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Namibia national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and in the South African SAA Provincial Challenge against South African first-class teams.
National team: Netherlands national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Papua New Guinea national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Scotland national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup or when playing against Ireland or English first-class county teams.
National team: United Arab Emirates national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Bermuda national cricket team
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Canada national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Cayman Islands national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Kenya national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and against touring first-class teams.
National team: Malaysia national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Nepal national cricket team 1
Note:
1first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: Uganda national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
National team: United States national cricket team 1
Note:
1 first-class only when playing in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
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.
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.
The Bermuda men's national cricket team represents the British overseas territory of Bermuda in international cricket. The team is organised by the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB), which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1966.
The United Arab Emirates men's national cricket team is the team that represents the United Arab Emirates in international cricket. They are governed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) which became an Affiliate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an Associate Member the following year. Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.
The Scotland national cricket team represents the country of Scotland. They play their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh, and also some other venues.
Women's One Day International (ODI) is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was held in England. The first ODI, would have been between New Zealand and Jamaica on 20 June 1973, but was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain. Therefore, the first women's ODIs to take place were three matches played three days later.
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.
The Ireland men's cricket team represents all of Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team.
The Afghanistan men's national cricket team represents Afghanistan in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the mid-19th century, but it was only in the early 21st century that the national team began to enjoy success. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, becoming an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and a member of the cricket confederation, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003. After nearly a decade of playing international cricket, on 22 June 2017 full ICC membership was granted to Afghanistan. Alongside Ireland, this took the number of Test cricket playing nations to twelve. Afghanistan is the first country to achieve Full Member status after holding Affiliate Membership of the ICC. In view of the persistent conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan, following this status, the team moved to a new home ground in Dehradun, in India. The current home ground of the Afghanistan Men's Cricket team is the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
Paras Khadka is a Nepalese former cricketer who is the current Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal and President of Bagmati Province Cricket Association. He captained the Nepalese cricket team from 2008 to 2019. An all-rounder, Khadka was a right-handed batsman, and a right-arm medium-fast as well as an off-break bowler. He made his debut against Malaysia in April 2004. Khadka played in Nepal's inaugural One Day International (ODI) match, against the Netherlands, in August 2018. He is often considered as the greatest cricketers of Nepal.
Sharad Vesawkar is a Nepalese professional cricketer. He is a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm off break bowler. He made his debut for Nepal against the UAE in March 2004. He played in Nepal's first ever One Day International (ODI) match, against the Netherlands, in August 2018.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board is the official governing body of cricket in Afghanistan. It is Afghanistan's representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and was an associate member of ICC from June 2013 until becoming a full member in June 2017. Before that it was an affiliate member and has been a member of that body since 2001. It is also a member of the Asian Cricket Council.
Cricket in Ireland is governed by Cricket Ireland, which maintains the Ireland men's and women's cricket teams. Like several other sports in Ireland, cricket is organised on an all-Ireland basis. Following the team's success in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the sport's popularity increased in Ireland. The country was, until 2017, an associate member of the International Cricket Council and played in tournaments like the World Cricket League and ICC Intercontinental Cup, which are qualifying rounds for associate teams for the Cricket World Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Ireland qualified for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20. In the 2011 World Cup, they beat England in the group matches.
Peter Connell is a New Zealand-born Irish cricketer. An opening bowler, he made his debut for Ireland in 2008, aged 26. He took part in Ireland's successful campaign in the 2007–08 ICC Intercontinental Cup. Connell has also represented Ireland in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). In January 2012 he was given a contract with Cricket Ireland.
Cricket in Afghanistan is the most popular sport in the country, which is represented internationally by the Afghanistan national cricket team. Afghanistan's border with the Test playing nation of Pakistan has helped the game to take root. Pakistan's former batsman Inzamam ul Haq has coached the Afghan national team in the past. Afghanistan became a full member of the International Cricket Council on 22 June 2017, enabling the national team to participate in official Test matches.
Cricket has been played in the Netherlands since at least the 19th century, and in the 1860s was considered a major sport in the country. The sport is governed by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.
Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi is a former Afghan cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman and a wicketkeeper. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in August 2009 against the Netherlands.
Andrew Balbirnie is an Irish cricketer, the current captain of the Ireland cricket team in Test cricket. Balbirnie is a right-handed batsman and an occasional wicket-keeper. He was born in Dublin and was educated at St. Andrew's College. He was one of the 11 cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In December 2018, he was one of 19 players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season.
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.
The 2016–2017 international cricket season was from September 2016 to April 2017. During this period, 41 Test matches, 87 One Day Internationals (ODIs), 43 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), 4 first class matches, 16 List A matches, 41 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs), and 15 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is) were played. Of the 41 Test matches that took place in this season, 3 were day/night Test matches. The season started with Pakistan leading the Test cricket rankings, Australia leading the ODI rankings, New Zealand leading the Twenty20 rankings, and Australia women leading the Women's rankings.