Tanzania national cricket team explained

Tanzania
Nickname:The Cows
Association:Tanzania Cricket Association
Captain:Abhik Patwa
Coach:Rivash Gobind
Icc Status:Associate member
Icc Member Year:2001
Icc Region:Africa
T20i Rank:35th
T20i Rank Best:30th (17 Nov 2021)
First Match: Tanganyika v.
(Nairobi; 1 December 1951)
First T20i:v at Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, Kigali; 2 November 2021
Most Recent T20i:v at Achimota Oval B, Accra; 20 March 2024
Num T20is:63
Num T20is This Year:6
T20i Record:36/24 (0 ties, 3 no results)
T20i Record This Year:1/5 (0 ties, 0 no results)
Wt20q Apps:1
Wt20q First:2023
Wt20q Best:6th (2023)
Asofdate:20 March 2024

The Tanzania national cricket team is the men's team that represents Tanzania in international cricket. Cricket has been played in what is now Tanzania since 1890, and the national side first played in 1951.[1] The Tanzania Cricket Association became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001,[2] having previously been part of the East and Central Africa Cricket Conference, which was a member of the ICC in its own right.

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 since 1 January 2019 have had the T20I status.[3]

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.

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.

National side

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 and Zanzibar also played matches against Uganda, beginning in 1956.[4]

Other opponents from further afield also toured, with Tanganyika playing the MCC in 1957[5] and 1963,[6] a South African Non-Europeans side in 1958 (who also played Zanzibar)[7] and Pakistan International Airlines in 1964.[8] 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.

Decline

As many businesses were nationalised in the early 1970s, much of the Indian and British population began to leave 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.

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 and 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.

ICC membership

The Tanzania Cricket Association became an associate member of the ICC in 2001 (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 where they lost all four of their matches.[9]

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.[10] Even more improvement was shown in the equivalent tournament two years later, when they won Division Two of the World Cricket League Africa Region.[11] 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.[12]

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

Did not qualify

World Cricket League

ICC World Cup Qualifier

Did not qualify

ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier (Africa Regional Final)

ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off

4th (Qualified for 2023-26 ICC CWC Challenge League)

World Cricket League Africa Region

ACA Africa T20 Cup

Runners-up

Records and statistics

International Match Summary — Tanzania[13] Last updated 20 March 2024

Playing Record
Format M W L T NR Inaugural Match
Twenty20 Internationals 63 36 24 0 3 2 November 2021

Twenty20 International

Most T20I runs for Tanzania[17]

PlayerRunsAverageCareer span
Ivan Selemani 1,426 24.58 2021–2024
1,178 27.39 2021–2023
Amal Rajeevan 943 26.94 2021–2023
797 18.97 2021–2024
Omary Kitunda 499 12.79 2021–2024

Most T20I wickets for Tanzania[18]

PlayerWicketsAverageCareer span
65 13.35 2022–2024
62 17.88 2021–2024
59 19.61 2021–2024
SanjayKumar Thakor 55 16.87 2021–2024
40 21.15 2021–2024

T20I record versus other nations[13]

Records complete to T20I #2531. Last updated 20 March 2024.

Opponent M W L T NR First match First win
vs Full Members
1 0 1 0 0 23 November 2023
vs Associate Members
1 0 1 0 0 9 March 2024
2 2 0 0 0 7 November 2021 7 November 2021
3 3 0 0 0 6 November 2021 6 November 2021
1 1 0 0 0 6 December 2022 6 December 2022
1 1 0 0 0 6 December 2022 6 December 2022
1 1 0 0 0 4 December 2022 4 December 2022
4 2 2 0 0 17 November 2021 17 November 2021
1 0 1 0 0 6 March 2024
1 1 0 0 0 20 September 2022 20 September 2022
1 0 1 0 0 10 March 2024
2 2 0 0 0 2 November 2021 2 November 2021
2 0 2 0 0 28 November 2023
5 3 1 0 1 17 November 2021 17 November 2021
18 16 2 0 0 31 October 2022 31 October 2022
2 2 0 0 0 3 November 2021 3 November 2021
16 2 12 0 2 18 November 2021 19 December 2022
1 0 1 0 0 5 March 2024 5 March 2024

Players

Current squad

This lists all the players who have played for Tanzania in the past 12 months or has been part of the latest T20I squad. Updated as of 31 August 2023

NameAgeBatting styleBowling styleNotes
Batters
Ivan Selemani Right-handed
Omary Kitunda Right-handed
Right-handed Captain
Right-handed
Dhrumit Mehta Right-handed
All-rounders
Right-handed Vice-captain
Md. Yunusu Issa Right-handed
Shaik Basha Left-handed Slow left-arm unorthodox
Wicket-keepers
Amal Rajeevan Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
Spin Bowlers
Yalinde Nkanya Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
Sanjay Thakor Right-handed
Akhil Anil Left-handed
Pace Bowlers
Right-handed
Left-handed
Johnson Nyambo Right-handed

Other notable players

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

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
  2. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Countries/88.html Tanzania
  3. Web site: All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status. International Cricket Council. 26 April 2018. 1 September 2018.
  4. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/TZN/1956_TZN_Uganda_in_Zanzibar_1956.html Uganda in Zanzibar 1956
  5. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/137/137559.html Scorecard
  6. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/TZN/1963-64_TZN_Marylebone_Cricket_Club_in_East_Africa_1963-64.html MCC in East Africa 1963/64
  7. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/TZN/1958-59_TZN_South_African_Non-Europeans_in_East_Africa_1958-59.html South African Non-Europeans in East Africa 1958/59
  8. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/TZN/1964_TZN_Pakistan_International_Airlines_in_East_Africa_1964.html Pakistan International Airlines in East Africa 1964
  9. http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/2002/TOURNAMENTS/AFRICACUP/about.shtml 2002 Africa Cup
  10. http://www.cricketeurope4.net/ICCT2005/DATABASE/QUALIFYING/africa.shtml Africa qualifying for the 2005 ICC Trophy
  11. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Events/Tables/ICC_World_Cricket_League_Africa_Region_Division_Two_2006.html Points Table for ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division Two 2006
  12. http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000046/004698.shtml Uganda lift Division Three title
  13. Web site: Records / Tanzania / Twenty20 Internationals / Result summary . . 22 September 2022.
  14. Web site: Records / Tanzania / Twenty20 Internationals / Highest totals . ESPNcricinfo . 2 November 2021.
  15. Web site: Records / Tanzania / Twenty20 Internationals / High scores . ESPNcricinfo . 2 November 2021.
  16. Web site: Records / Tanzania / Twenty20 Internationals / Best bowling figures . ESPNcricinfo . 2 November 2021.
  17. Web site: Records / Tanzania / Twenty20 Internationals / Most runs . . 21 May 2019.
  18. Web site: Records / Tanzania/ Twenty20 Internationals / Most wickets . . 21 May 2019.
  19. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/26/26654/26654.html Pranlal Divecha
  20. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/1/1473/1473.html Praful Mehta
  21. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/26/26665/26665.html CD Patel
  22. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/26/26669/26669.html RD Patel
  23. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/25/25921/25921.html Malcolm Ronaldson
  24. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/4/4747/4747.html John Solanky
  25. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/1/1465/1465.html Shiraz Sumar
  26. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/26/26676/26676.html Vasant Tapu