The Iran national cricket team ( fa, تیم ملی کریکت ایران) is a
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
team representing
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
in
international cricket
International cricket matches are played between teams representing their nations, normally organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The main forms are Test matches, One-Day matches and Twenty20 matches.
Most games are played ...
. They became an affiliate member of the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...
(ICC) in 2003 and an
associate member in 2017.
History
Cricket was introduced in Iran in the 1920s and 1930s by the British who were working in the oil industry but it ceased when the oil industry was nationalised in 1951. Cricket was reintroduced in the early 1990s by Iranians who had studied abroad. Iran joined the
Asian Cricket Council
The Asian Cricket Council also known as ACC is a cricket organisation which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. Subordinate to the International Cricket Council, the council is the continent's regional ...
in 2003. Iran's men's cricket league was established in 2014 with eight teams as participants and
Chah Bahar became the first winners. In the same year women's cricket league was also established which was won by
Mashhad.
Following their admission to the International Cricket Council, they made their international debut at the
2004 ACC Trophy, and played in the tournament again in the
2006 tournament. On both occasions, they failed to progress beyond the first round. With the separation of the ACC Trophy into Elite and Challenge divisions, following their performance at the 2006 ACC Trophy Iran have since competed in the Challenge divisions in both
2009 and in the
2010 competition, coming 5th in both.
2018-Present
In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
(T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
matches played between Iran and other
ICC members
The International Cricket Council (ICC) was founded at Lord's on 15 June 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference, with Australia, England, and South Africa as its founding members.
In the beginning, only countries within the Commonwealth could ...
after 1 January 2019 will be a full T20I.
Iran played their first T20I against
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
on 23 February 2020 during the
2020 ACC Western Region T20
The 2022 Asia Cup Qualifier was a men's cricket tournament which took place in Oman in August 2022 to determine qualification for the 2022 Asia Cup (which was originally scheduled to be played in 2020). The 2020 editions of the ACC Western and Eas ...
.
Team colours
Iran's kits vary from year to year; the team have worn kits in green color, at times red kits and also grey kits.
The kits always have 'Iran' written on the front of the jersey; usually Iran's cricket logo and at times sponsor logos also appear.
Tournament history
Asia Cup Qualifier
*
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
: Did not participate
*
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
: Did not qualify
ACC Western Region T20
*
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
: Did not play
*
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
: Group stage
ACC Trophy
ACC Middle East Cup
Head coaches
* Hossein Ali Salimian (c.2004)
* Shahid Aslam (c.2006)
* Nariman Bakhtiar
* Armond Nahabedian (c.2009)
* Mahmood Rashid Dar 2011-2015
Records and Statistics
International Match Summary — Iran
''Last updated 25 February 2020''
Twenty20 International
* Highest team total: 108/8 v
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
, 25 February 2020 at
Al Amerat Cricket Stadium
Oman Cricket Academy Ground, also known as the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, is a cricket ground in Muscat, Oman. The ground is owned by the Oman Cricket Board. In January 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave accreditation for the Mini ...
,
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
* Highest individual score: 39, Yousef Shadzehisarjou v
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
, 25 February 2020 at
Al Amerat Cricket Stadium
Oman Cricket Academy Ground, also known as the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, is a cricket ground in Muscat, Oman. The ground is owned by the Oman Cricket Board. In January 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave accreditation for the Mini ...
,
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
* Best individual bowling figures: 1/10, Nader Zahadiafzal v
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, 24 February 2020 at
Al Amerat Cricket Stadium
Oman Cricket Academy Ground, also known as the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, is a cricket ground in Muscat, Oman. The ground is owned by the Oman Cricket Board. In January 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave accreditation for the Mini ...
,
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
T20I record versus other nations
''Records complete to T20I #1061. Last updated 25 February 2020.''
Other matches
For a list of selected international matches played by Iran, se
Cricket Archive
Other records
Limited-overs records
*Highest team total: 369/6 v
China, January 13, 2009 at Gymkhana Club,
Chiang Mai
*Lowest team total: 29 v
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, June 14, 2004 at Kelab Aman,
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
Highest limited-overs scores for Iran
Most limited-overs runs for Iran
Best bowling figures in an innings for Iran
See also
*
List of Iran Twenty20 International cricketers
*
Iran national women's cricket team
References
External links
Iranian Cricket Association
{{National sports teams of Iran
Cricket in Iran
National cricket teams
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
Iran in international cricket