Cook Islands national cricket team

Cook Islands
AssociationCook Islands Cricket Association
Personnel
CaptainMa'ara Ave
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAssociate member[1] (2017)
Affiliate member (2000)
ICC regionEast Asia-Pacific
ICC Rankings Current[2] Best-ever
T20I 45th 45th (19-Aug-2024)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv  Samoa at Vanuatu Cricket Ground, Port Vila; 9 September 2022
Last T20Iv  Fiji at Faleata Oval 2, Apia; 24 August 2024
T20Is Played Won/Lost
Total[3] 12 7/5
(0 ties, 0 no result)
This year[4] 6 4/2
(0 ties, 0 no result)
As of 24 August 2024

The Cook Islands national cricket team is the team that represents the Cook Islands - an island country in a free association with New Zealand - in international cricket. The team is organised by the Cook Islands Cricket Association, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2000[5] and an associate member when all affiliate members were promoted to that status in 2017.[1]

The Cook Islands' first international tournament was the 2001 edition of the Pacifica Cup, which was played in New Zealand. The team has played at ICC East Asia-Pacific tournaments, and at the 2006 EAP Trophy finished second to Fiji and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Cricket League.[6] Outside ICC tournaments, the Cook Islands fielded a team in the cricket tournament at the 2003 South Pacific Games, winning the bronze medal.[7]

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between the Cook Islands and other ICC members since 1 January 2019 are eligibile for T20I status.[8]

Cook Islands was scheduled to return to international competition at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa,[9] but choose not to participate and instead concentrate on development of the national team.[10]

In September 2022 they played the Tāmaki Makaurau Tāne, an all-Māori squad, in Auckland, New Zealand,[11][12] before participating in the 2022 T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Vanuatu.[13] They came third in the qualifiers.[14] Following the competition, they were ranked by the ICC for the first time, at 55th of 82 teams.[15]

  1. ^ a b "Ireland and Afghanistan ICC newest full members amid wide-ranging governance reform". International Cricket Council. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. ^ "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
  3. ^ "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  4. ^ "T20I matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  5. ^ Cook Islands – CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  6. ^ Other matches played by Cook Islands Archived 18 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine – CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. ^ Finals matches results for the 2003 South Pacific Games cricket tournament Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine at SportingPulse
  8. ^ "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Cricket announces Pac Games squads". 18 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Biggest PacGames team ever". 18 August 2020.
  11. ^ Karanama Ruru (2 September 2022). "Auckland's first all-Māori cricket team set to take on Cook Islands". Stuff. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Cooks national cricket squad play Auckland's first all- Māori team". Cook Islands News. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Trained, blessed, and ready for take-off". Cook Islands News. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Cooks finish third in T20 Qualifier". Cook Islands News. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  15. ^ "ICC rankings for Cook Islands". Cook Islands News. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.