Gibraltar national cricket team

(Redirected from Gibraltar cricket team)

The Gibraltar national cricket team is the team that represents the British overseas territory of Gibraltar in international cricket. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1969.[4]

Gibraltar
AssociationGibraltar Cricket Association
Personnel
CaptainAvinash Pai
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAssociate member (1969)
ICC regionEurope
ICC Rankings Current[1] Best-ever
T20I 75th 68th (2-May-2022)
International cricket
First internationalGibraltar Gibraltar v. Kenya 
(Solihull, England; 16 June 1982)
One Day Internationals
World Cup Qualifier appearances6 (first in 1982)
Best resultFirst round (1982–2001)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv  Portugal at La Manga Club, Cartagena; 26 October 2019
Last T20Iv  Luxembourg at Europa Sports Park, Gibraltar; 15 October 2023
T20Is Played Won/Lost
Total[2] 38 9/28 (1 tie, 0 no results)
This year[3] 0 0/0 (0 ties, 0 no results)
As of 1 January 2024

Gibraltar played in the ICC Trophy (now replaced by the ICC World Cup Qualifier) from 1982 to 2001, with little success. The team has played in the top-flight of the European Cricket Championship on four occasions, and placed sixth (out of eight teams) at 1996 European Cricket Championship held in Denmark in 1996. After the creation of the World Cricket League, Gibraltar was placed in the 2009 Division Seven. It was subsequently relegated to 2010 Division Eight, where another low finish saw the team again relegated, to regional qualifying tournaments.

With approximately 34,000 residents, Gibraltar has one of the smallest populations of any ICC member. Only three members, all fellow dependencies of ICC full members, have a smaller population – in order from largest to smallest, the Cook Islands, Saint Helena, and Falkland Islands.

History edit

Early years edit

Cricket has been played in Gibraltar by British servicemen since the late 18th century. A cricket ground is known to have existed north of the Rock of Gibraltar in 1800. Civilians as well as servicemen were playing the game by 1822. The Gibraltar Cricket Club was formed in 1883, and formed the backbone of civilian cricket until well into the 20th century.[5]

In 1890, a ship carrying the Australia national cricket team on the way to a tour of England, docked in Gibraltar Harbour after a collision with two other ships. The Australians played a game against a Gibraltar Garrison team. The Australians won the game, scoring 150/8, as the local side were dismissed for just 25.[5]

The game was flourishing in the 1930s, with Gibraltar producing many locally born players. However, the Second World War meant a cut back in the game, with many cricket fields giving way to the military, one even being converted into an airfield.[5]

Post-war years edit

 
Cricket being played in Gibraltar in 1960

The 1950s saw an increase in clubs, and the Gibraltar Cricket Association was formed in 1960.[5] They were elected to associate membership of the ICC in 1969.[4] Essex County Cricket Club visited after the conclusion of the 1973 English domestic season, and played a Rock XI in a one-day game, winning by 178 runs.[6] Visits by English sides of various ability levels have continued ever since.[5]

In 1982, Gibraltar took part in the second ICC Trophy, without winning a match. They improved on this performance in the 1986 tournament, gaining their first international win against Israel. They performed even better in the next tournament, beating East and Central Africa, Singapore and Israel[5] reaching the plate competition.[7] Israel toured Gibraltar in 1992, winning the match they played against the national side.[5]

Gibraltar finished in 20th place in the 1994 ICC Trophy,[8] and played in the first European Championship in Copenhagen in 1996, finishing sixth after losing to Scotland in a play-off.[9] They finished 19th in the following years ICC Trophy[10] and played poorly in the 1998 European Championship, finishing last in the ten team tournament.[11]

In 1999, Gibraltar hosted a quadrangular tournament also involving France, Israel and Italy,[5] losing in the final to Italy.[12] The European Championship was split into two divisions in 2000, with Gibraltar placed in Division Two, which they won.[13] The following year they travelled to Canada to take part in the 2001 ICC Trophy. A withdrawal by Italy and the non-arrival of West Africa left Gibraltar with just three matches to play against Germany, Namibia and Nepal, losing all of them and not progressing beyond the first round.[5]

Gibraltar defended their European Division Two title in 2002,[14] but could not continue this success in 2004, finishing fifth out of six teams.[15] They did not qualify for the 2005 ICC Trophy,[16] and finished fourth in Division Two of the European Championship in 2006 after losing a play-off to Germany.[17]

Gibraltar placed sixth at the 2009 Global Division Seven tournament and was relegated to Division-eight.

2018-Present edit

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Gibraltar and other ICC members after 1 January 2019 have the full T20I status.[18]

Gibraltar played their first T20I on 26 October 2019, against Portugal, during the 2019 Iberia Cup.

26 October 2019
08:45
Scorecard
Gibraltar  
113/6 (20 overs)
v
  Portugal
116/4 (18.3 overs)
Avinash Pai 52 (52)
Paolo Buccimazza 2/18 (4 overs)
Zohaib Sarwar 33* (21)
Avinash Pai 2/18 (4 overs)
Portugal won by 6 wickets
La Manga Club Bottom Ground, Cartagena
Umpires: Gordon Ashford (Esp) and Adnan Khan (Esp)
  • Gibraltar won the toss and elected to bat.

Gibraltar achieved a first T20I victory during the 2021 Valletta Cup in a match against Bulgaria. This win came on the back of a century from captain Avinash Pai accompanied by a half century from 16 year old Louis Bruce.

23 October 2021
Scorecard
Gibraltar  
217/4 (20 overs)
v
  Bulgaria
180/5 (20 overs)
Avinash Pai 107* (52)
Sulaiman Ali 2/38 (4 overs)
Hristo Lakov 80 (63)
James Fitzgerald 2/37 (4 overs)
Gibraltar won by 37 runs
Marsa Sports Club, Malta
Player of the match: Avinash Pai
  • Bulgaria won the toss and elected to field.
  • * Balaji Pai scored Gibraltar's first T20I century.

Records and statistics edit

International Match Summary — Gibraltar[19][20]

Last updated 15 October 2023

Playing Record
Format M W L T NR Inaugural Match
Twenty20 Internationals 38 9 28 1 0 26 October 2019

Twenty20 International edit

T20I record versus other nations[19]

Records complete to T20I #2317. Last updated 15 October 2023.

Opponent M W L T NR First match First win
vs Associate Members
  Belgium 1 0 1 0 0 28 June 2022
  Bulgaria 4 2 2 0 0 23 October 2021 23 October 2021
  Czech Republic 1 0 1 0 0 11 May 2022
  Denmark 1 0 1 0 0 29 June 2022
  Estonia 2 1 1 0 0 30 September 2023 30 September 2023
  Hungary 2 1 1 0 0 10 May 2022 1 July 2022
  Luxembourg 2 1 1 0 0 15 October 2023 15 October 2023
  Malta 9 2 6 1 0 21 August 2021 5 May 2023
  Portugal 10 0 10 0 0 26 October 2019
  Romania 1 0 1 0 0 15 May 2022
  Serbia 2 2 0 0 0 5 October 2023 5 October 2023
  Spain 2 0 2 0 0 26 October 2019
   Switzerland 1 0 1 0 0 22 October 2021

Other records edit

ICC Trophy edit

ICC Trophy record versus other nations[20]

Opponent M W L T NR First match First win
  Argentina 1 1 1 0 0 1 April 1997 1 April 1997
  Bermuda 2 0 2 0 0 23 June 1986
  Canada 1 0 1 0 0 20 June 1986
  Denmark 1 0 1 0 0 8 June 1990
  East and Central Africa 2 1 1 0 0 10 June 1990 10 June 1990
  Fiji 1 0 1 0 0 16 June 1986
  Germany 1 0 1 0 0 2 July 2001
  Hong Kong 2 0 2 0 0 28 June 1982
  Ireland 2 0 2 0 0 16 February 1994
  Israel 4 3 1 0 1 25 June 1982 30 June 1986
  Kenya 2 0 2 0 0 16 June 1982
  Malaysia 1 0 1 0 0 18 February 1994
  Namibia 1 0 1 0 0 4 July 2001
    Nepal 1 0 1 0 0 1 July 2001
  Netherlands 2 0 2 0 0 27 June 1986
  Papua New Guinea 3 0 3 0 0 2 July 1982
  Singapore 3 1 2 0 0 16 June 1990 16 June 1990
  United States 4 0 3 0 1 18 June 1982
  West Africa 2 0 1 0 1 23 February 1994

One-Day edit

Below is a record of international matches played in ICC Trophy, European Cricket Championship and World Cricket League events by Gibraltar between 1982 and 2013.[27][28]

Opponent M W L T NR
  Argentina 1 1 0 0 0
  Austria 2 2 0 0 0
  Bahamas 1 0 1 0 0
  Bahrain 2 0 1 0 1
  Belgium 1 0 1 0 0
  Bermuda 2 0 2 0 0
  Bhutan 1 0 1 0 0
  Canada 1 0 1 0 0
  Croatia 1 0 1 0 0
  Denmark 2 0 2 0 0
  East and Central Africa 2 1 1 0 0
  Fiji 1 0 1 0 0
  France 7 4 3 0 0
  Germany 10 4 6 0 0
  Greece 2 1 1 0 0
  Guernsey 4 0 4 0 0
  Hong Kong 2 0 2 0 0
  Ireland 3 0 3 0 0
  Israel 10 6 3 0 1
  Italy 3 1 2 0 0
  Japan 1 0 1 0 0
  Jersey 1 0 1 0 0
  Kenya 2 0 2 0 0
  Malaysia 1 0 1 0 0
  Namibia 1 0 1 0 0
    Nepal 1 0 1 0 0
  Netherlands 2 0 2 0 0
  Nigeria 1 0 1 0 0
  Norway 3 0 3 0 0
  Papua New Guinea 3 0 3 0 0
  Portugal 2 1 1 0 0
  Scotland 1 0 1 0 0
  Singapore 3 1 2 0 0
  Suriname 3 1 2 0 0
  United States 4 1 3 0 0
  West Africa 2 0 1 0 1
  Zambia 1 0 1 0 0
Total 90 24 63 0 3

Tournament history edit

World Cricket League Qualifier edit

  • 2012: 3rd place (La Manga)

World Cricket League edit

  • 2009: 6th place (Division Seven)
  • 2010: 6th place (Division Eight)

ICC Trophy edit

European Championship edit

  • 1996: 6th place[9]
  • 1998: 10th place[11]
  • 2000: Division Two winners[13]
  • 2002: Division Two winners[14]
  • 2004: 5th place (Division Two)[15]
  • 2006: 4th place (Division Two)[17]
  • 2008: 3rd place (Division Two)
  • 2010: 6th place (Division Two)
  • 2011: 9th place (Division One)
  • 2014: 4th place (Division Two)

T20I Tournaments edit

Current squad edit

This lists all the players who have played for Gibraltar in the past 12 months or has been part of the latest T20I squad. Updated as of 7 May 2023.

Name Age Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batters
Julian Freyone 29 Right-handed Right-arm medium
Jonathan West 42 Right-handed Right-arm medium
Bryan Zammitt 34 Right-handed Right-arm medium
All-rounders
Louis Bruce 18 Right-handed Right-arm fast
Avinash Pai 42 Right-handed Right-arm off break Captain
Kennedy Nestor 35 Right-handed Right-arm fast
Andrew Reyes 40 Right-handed Right-arm medium
Iain Latin 39 Right-handed Right-arm off break Vice-captain
Wicketkeeper
Kayron Stagno 30 Right-handed
Joseph Marples 32 Right-handed
Spin Bowlers
Kabir Mirpuri 36 Right-handed Right-arm off break
Nikhil Advani 36 Right-handed Right-arm off break
Pace Bowlers
Samarth Bodha 21 Right-handed Right-arm medium
James Fitzgerald 24 Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
Richard Hatchman 37 Right-handed Right-arm medium
Jack Horrocks 30 Right-handed Left-arm medium

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
  2. ^ "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. ^ "T20I matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  4. ^ a b Gibraltar at CricketArchive
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "History of the Gibraltar Cricket Association". Gibraltar Cricket Association. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  6. ^ Scorecard of Rock XI v Essex, 12 September 1973
  7. ^ a b 1990 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  8. ^ a b 1994 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  9. ^ a b 1996 European Championship Archived 5 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  10. ^ a b 1997 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  11. ^ a b 1998 European Championship Archived 9 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  12. ^ Scorecard of Gibraltar v Italy, 25 September 1999 at Cricinfo
  13. ^ a b 2000 European Championship Archived 5 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  14. ^ a b "2002 European Championship Official Site – results page". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  15. ^ a b 2004 European Championship Division Two Archived 1 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine at the European Cricket Council official website
  16. ^ a b 2005 ICC Trophy at Cricinfo
  17. ^ a b 2006 European Championship Division Two Archived 17 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
  18. ^ "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Records / Gibraltar / Twenty20 Internationals / Result summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Records / Gibraltar / ICC Trophy / Result summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Records / Gibraltar / Twenty20 Internationals / Highest totals". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  22. ^ "Records / Gibraltar / Twenty20 Internationals / High scores". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  23. ^ "Records / Gibraltar / Twenty20 Internationals / Best bowling figures". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Records / Gibraltar / ICC Trophy / Highest totals". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Records / Gibraltar / ICC Trophy / High scores". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Records / Gibraltar / Twenty20 Internationals / Best bowling figures". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  27. ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
  28. ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
  29. ^ List of Gibraltar ICC Trophy matches at CricketArchive
  30. ^ "2008 results for ICC associate and affiliate members". home.iprimus.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  31. ^ "CAMPEONES OF IBERIA – Cricket Spain". Retrieved 21 October 2021.

External links edit

36°6′38.48″N 5°20′48.6″W / 36.1106889°N 5.346833°W / 36.1106889; -5.346833