Cook Islands national cricket team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Cook Islands women's 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.