Argentina national cricket team
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| Argentina | |
 |
|
| ICC membership granted | 1974 |
| ICC member status | Associate Member |
| ICC development region | Americas |
| Captain | Estaban MacDermott |
| World Cricket League division | Five |
| ICC Americas Championship division | Two |
| First recorded match | 18 February 1912 v MCC at the Hurlingham Club |
| ICC Trophy | |
| Appearances | 6 (First in 1979) |
| Best result | Plate competition, 1990 and 1994 |
| First class cricket | |
| First class matches played | 13 |
| First class wins/losses | 3/6 |
| As of 10 September 2006 | |
Contents |
[edit] History
October 2006 saw one of the cricket world’s far-flung outposts celebrate a most remarkable milestone. The Argentine Cricket Association (ACA) held a match close to Buenos Aires at San Antonio de Areco, the site of the first recorded instance of cricket being played on local soil.
The game in Argentina is currently enjoying a revival, with first-class coaching resources, some delightful grounds and a full-time administrative structure based in the capital.
This anniversary commemorated a lull in fighting during Colonel William Carr Beresford’s doomed invasion in 1806, when captured British troops sought permission to play cricket.
Life under Spanish guard in what was then the Viceroyalty of the River Plate cannot have been overly taxing. Indeed, one of Beresford’s officers later wrote: “…vacant time revived the national diversions of horse racing and cricket.”
After Argentina won her independence in 1818 Englishmen poured into the young republic and cricket, with twists and turns that would do a dramatic novelist proud, has remained. The game was particularly strong pre-1945, with clubs and players travelling up to 1,600 kilometres for matches and up to 500 spectators attending the annual “North versus South” fixture (first played in 1891).
Thereafter, the game suffered. Perhaps the most violent blow occurred in 1949 with the state-sanctioned [arson]] attack on the grand Buenos Aires Cricket Club pavilion. Allegedly ordered by Eva Peron following a snub by Buckingham Palace, the BACC – the ‘MCC’ of Argentine cricket - took the hint and fled to the outer suburbs, never really recovering. The remains of the beautiful building and the cricket ground fences were bull-dozed a year later.
It was, however, the decline and eventual nationalisation of British-owned industries in 1945 that gradually sent cricket into a spin. Previously, tremendous players such as Philip Foy (Somerset) and Clem Gibson (Cambridge University, Sussex, England XI) were attracted to life in the Argentine and significantly bolstered local stocks. Notably, the only fixtures accorded first-class status involving Argentine and visiting international sides occurred before the Second World War.
Naturally, the Falklands War in 1982 also sent this most British of games scrambling for cover. What was left of a once flourishing expatriate community kept its collective head down until the crisis passed.
Hopes for the game are now strong. Unlike other cricket frontiers, foreigners are very much in the minority, comprising less than 2% of the almost 400 registered cricket players.
The ACA also commemorated the occasion by publishing a history of cricket in Argentina, a task last undertaken in 1974. For further information, consult the ACA website (mixed Spanish / English content): http://www.cricketargentina.com/index.php.
[edit] Recent Activity
In January/February 2006, the MCC toured Argentina. They sent a very strong squad, captained by Mike Gatting, and featuring former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower, along with recent England internationals Richard Dawson and Anthony McGrath. Three matches were scheduled against the Argentine national team. The MCC won the first by 138 runs [1], the second was rained off, and Argentina won the final match by 6 wickets. [2]
Argentina hosted the ICC Americas Championship Division Two tournament in April 2006, which they won to progress to the Division One tournament in Canada in August 2006. They did not meet with success in the Division One tournament though, finishing fifth out of five teams.
[edit] First Class Cricket
Argentina is one of the few ICC associate members to have played first class cricket. All the games took place prior to the second world war, and were played against touring English teams: The MCC (twice), Sir J Cahn's XI and Sir TEW Brinckman's XI. Thirteen games were played in all, with Argentina winning 3 of them.
[edit] ICC Membership
Argentina became an associate member of the ICC in 1974. This allowed them to take part in the ICC Trophy for the first time in 1979. They have played in every such tournament since, with the exception of the tournaments of 1982 and 2005.
[edit] Tournament History
[edit] World Cup
Argentina have never qualified for the Cricket World Cup.
[edit] ICC Trophy
- 1979: First round
- 1982: Did not enter
- 1986: First round
- 1990: Plate competition
- 1994: Plate competition
- 1997: 20th place
- 2001: First round
- 2005: Did not qualify
[edit] ICC Americas Championship
- 2000: 5th place
- 2002: 6th place
- 2004: 5th place
- 2006: Division Two winners, 5th place in Division One
