The Portuguese national cricket team is the team that represents the country of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

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 ...

History

Beginnings

Cricket in Portugal dates back to the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

of 1809–1814, when English troops were encamped in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. A game between sides from

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

and Lisbon has been played almost every year since 1861. English club teams paid frequent visits; the Cryptics Cricket Club toured eight times between 1924 and 1939. The game was confined, however, to the expatriate community, particularly the

port wine Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi- ...

manufacturers of Porto, until events in 1974 gave Portuguese cricket an unexpected boost.

Playing numbers increase

The

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...

led to many Portuguese citizens returning from their former overseas province of

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, and the subsequent independence of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

brought many Portuguese citizens back, bringing cricket with them. Other Portuguese citizens living in Portugal's former African overseas provinces moved to

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

and South Africa, where their children were absorbed into the sporting cultures of those countries, and the subsequent socio-political changes there led to them bringing their love of cricket back to Portugal.

International competition

The Cricket Association of Portugal was founded in 1994 and they became an ICC member two years later. Their first international engagement was in the European Nations Cup in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1997, where they reached the semi-finals. They competed in that tournament's successor, the ECC Trophy in 1999, finishing as runners up and qualifying for Division Two of the European Championship in 2000. They finished fourth in that tournament. They again played in the ECC Trophy in 2001, this time winning the tournament, again qualifying for Division Two of the European Championship in 2002. They finished third and then played in the ECC Trophy in 2003. This time their performances from the previous two tournaments did not continue and they finished in 5th place, a performance they repeated in the European Affiliates Championship in 2005. They will compete in Division Three of the European Championships in 2007.

1st tournament ( The European Nations Cup 1997 )

In 1997 Portugal played their first tournament. It was the European Nations Cup 1997. They also played their first match in that tournament. Their first match was against

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Lyceum Alpinum Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is an international boarding school in Zuoz, near St.Moritz in Switzerland. Founded in 1904, it is located in the upper part of the alpine village in the area of Surmulins. There are around 300 pupils, including 220 in the b ...

Zuoz Zuoz () is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as ''Zuzes''. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. Bu ...

19 August 1997. In that match Portugal made a 381/3 batting first and their players TG Rankine and Intesab Mehdi has scored two fine innings of 173 and 81*. After Portugal's innings Greece came down to bat. But for the bashing bowling of Portugal's bowlers Greece was all out at 115 in 29 overs. Santilal made the best bowling figure (3/27 in 6 overs) in Portugal's innings. Portugal won that match by 266 runs. In their second match on 20 August 1997 against

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

at the same stadium Portugal batted first. They scored 297/9. Opener Nadeem Butt scored a wonderful 96 run innings. Again the bowlers of Portugal bowled well. Daia had made a figure of 10–2–35–3. Malta was all out in 187 in 41 overs. Portugal won that match by 110 runs. In their last match on 21 August 1997 against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

at the same stadium Portugal batted First like the two other matches. But this match Portugal could make a 240/7. Nazir Usman made the highest run of 45, while lower order batsman Daia and G Ramchande made a 39 and 27. They made 72 runs partnership in the 7th wicket. Austria did well. But they couldn't reached to the destination of 241 in 50 overs. But they made a 214 in 46.1 overs. 1st down Batsman A Simpson-Parker made the highest score of Austria's innings. He scored 55. G Ramchande made 3/41 in 9.1 overs. Portugal won that match by 26 runs. Portugal was top of the group B with 6 points in 3 matches. In the semi-final Portugal, Champion of group B, met

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

the runners up of Group A. But unfortunately Portugal lost that match against France. Portugal batted first for a fourth consecutive time. But in the semi-final Portugal's batting line-up was outmatched against the France's bowling. Portugal managed a 156 all out in 40.4 overs. Nadeem Butt scored 33 runs which was the highest runs of Portugal's innings. France made 157 very easily in 45.3 overs with 7 wickets in hand. Number 3 batsman N Jones made a 60. Because of the unexpected defeat against France, Portugal was knocked out from the semi-final of The European Nations Cup 1997.

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 innin ...

matches played between Portugal 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. Portugal played their first T20I on 25 October 2019, against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, during the 2019 Iberia Cup.

Tournament history

European Championship

*1996: Did not participate *1998: Did not qualify *2000: 4th place (Division Two) *2002: 3rd place (Division Two) *2004: Did not qualify *2006: Did not qualify

European Affiliates Championship

*1999: Runner-up *2001: Champion *2003: 5th place *2005: 5th place *2007: 5th place *2009: 6th place

Domestic cricket

The only league in Portuguese cricket for the last decade has been the Lisbon league, which has been played by a varying number of local clubs (between three and seven) depending on the economic activity in the area. Most recently the National League has been contested by Lisbon-based teams and two new clubs – one from the Algarve and one from Almoster. There are four registered clubs – Asian CC, Oeiras CC, Comunidade Hindu Portuguesa CC (CHP), and Friends CC in the Lisbon area, with a club in Oporto (Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club), a club in the Algarve (Barrington's CC) and one from Almoster (Presban CC). Over the years the Asian CC has dominated the league.

Records and Statistics

International Match Summary — Portugal ''Last updated 7 May 2023''

Twenty20 International

* Highest team total: 218/6 v

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

on 22 August 2021 at Gucherre Cricket Ground, Albergaria. * Highest individual score: 100, Azhar Andani v

on 21 August 2021 at Gucherre Cricket Ground, Albergaria. * Best individual bowling figures: 5/17,

Sirajullah Khadim Sirajullah Khadim (born June 10, 1988) is a Bangladeshi cricketer who plays for the Portugal national cricket team. He previously played domestic cricket for Sylhet Division. Personal life Khadim was born on 10 June 1988 in Brahmanbaria. He immi ...

on 4 May 2023 at

Europa Sports Park Europa Sports Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Gibraltar; it was previously a Ministry of Defence cricket pitch. In 2019 it hosted the Island Games opening ceremony and will also host the annual Gibraltar Music Festival. In February 2014 the ...

. T20I record versus other nations ''Records complete to T20I #2062. Last updated 7 May 2023.''

References

Official Site
->

External links

Official Site
at CricketArchive {{National sports teams of Portugal Cricket in Portugal 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 striki ...

Portugal in international cricket