The Spanish national cricket team is the team that represents

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 ...

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 List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

(ICC) in 1992 and an associate member in 2017. They made their international debut in the ECC Trophy in 2001, finishing in 6th place. They played in the tournament again in 2001, this time finishing seventh. In the equivalent tournament in 2005, the European Affiliates Championship, they put in a much improved performance to finish in third, just missing out on promotion to Division Two of the European Championship. They played in Division Three of that tournament in 2007 and will play in Division Three once again in 2009. 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 Spain 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.

History

Cricket is first recorded as being played in Spain in the year 1809 by soldiers of General Lord Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington). During 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 ...

the soldiers played the game in and around Ciudad Rodrigo, Lugo and Orense. There are many records of the game being played by visiting British land and sea forces, either among themselves or against local British expatriate communities. The game entered a new era in Spain with the founding of Madrid Cricket Club in 1975. It was based at first on British and Indian players, but soon West Indian and Spanish members joined. In June 1989, a National Executive Committee was formed and the first steps were taken to unify all of the cricket playing clubs in Spain.

2018-Present

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full

(T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all

matches played between Spain and other

after 1 January 2019 will be a full T20I. Spain played its first ever T20I 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 ...

on 29 March 2019, during the 2019 Spain Triangular T20I Series. The match was played at

La Manga Club La Manga Club is a sports and leisure resort located in the south-eastern region of Spain, Murcia, south of La Manga, and bordered by the Mar Menor and Calblanque Regional Park. The resort complex opened in 1972 and covers an area of 1,400 a ...

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

First International Tournament (ECC Trophy/ICC Europe Championships)

Spain played their first tournament in 2001 in Austria. It was the ECC Trophy 2001. They also played their first match of their international cricket history in that tournament. They were in the Seebern Group amongst 2 groups. In their group there were Portugal, Malta, Finland and Sweden. Every match of the tournament was 35 overs. They played their first match at 13 August 2001 match in Seebarn Cricket Centre No 1 Ground, Lower Austria against Portugal. After winning the toss Portugal came down to bat and scored 229/6 in 35 overs. Opener Nadeem Butt scored 69. But due to their slow overrate Spain could play 32 overs. In 32 overs Portugal made 166/7. G Howe made 40 the highest score of Spain's innings. Portuguese bowler Bagvanadaia made 3/19 in 4 overs. So Spain lost their 1st international match against Portugal by 63 runs. Spain's next matches was against

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It was on 14 August 2001 at Seebarn Cricket Centre No. 2 Ground, Lower Austria. After winning toss Spain came down to bat. They made 222/3 in 35 overs. Batsman G Howe made 103 which was the highest of Spain's innings. Finish bowler Scott Thurling took 2/36 in 7 overs. In bowling Spain smashed their opponent Finland. Finland could make 141/9 in 35 overs. Scott Thurling made highest 43 in Finland's innings. G Howe took 3/29 in 7 overs. Spain got a victory of 81 runs and got their first win in international cricket.

Grounds

Tournament history

European Cricket Championship

*2001: 6th place *2003: 7th place

European Affiliates Championship

*2005: 3rd place

ICC Europe Division 3 Championship

*2007: Runners-up *2009: 3rd place

Iberia Cup

* 2019 Iberia Cup, 2019: Winners

Squad

Spain's squad for the tour of Finland in 17–18 August 2019 were the following players:- * Christian Munoz-Mills ( c) * Faran Afzal * Awais Ahmed * Yasir Ali * Muhammad Asjed * Hamza Dar * Zulqarnain Haider * Paul Hennessy * Kuldeep Lal * Vinod Kumar * Atif Mehmood * Ravi Panchal * Tom Vine * Andres Rodriguez (TBC)

Head Coach

Corey Leigh Rutgers (born 28 May 1989 in Footscray, Victoria) is a former WA country and grade cricketer who played in Western Australia. Rutgers is current coach of the Spanish national cricket team, Assistant Coach for Islamabad United PSL franchise and Pakhtoon T10 franchise. From 2017-18 he previously worked for the Netherlands National Cricket team as an Assistant & Analyst coach. In August 2019, Rutgers was appointed head coach of the Belgium national cricket team. On 14 December 2019, Rutgers was named as head coach of Falcon Hunters T10 franchise in the inaugural Qatar T10 league. Falcon Hunters went on to lift the championship. In November 2021, Rutgers signed with the Espana National cricket federation as head coach.

Records and Statistics

International Match Summary — Spain ''Last updated 6 November 2022''

Twenty20 International

* Highest team total: 206/2 v

, 30 March 2019 at

* Highest individual score: 102*, Awais Ahmed v

, 30 March 2019 at

* Best individual bowling figures: 5/11, Lorne Burns v

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, 30 April 2022 at

Desert Springs Cricket Ground The Desert Springs Cricket Ground is a sports ground in Cuevas del Almanzora, Almería, Spain. In September 2019, it was selected to host Germany's tour of Spain in March 2020, which included two Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket matches be ...

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

Most T20I runs for Spain Most T20I wickets for Spain T20I record versus other nations ''Records complete to T20I #1876. Last updated 6 November 2022.''

References

Spain in ICC's Official Site

External links

*
ICC profile
{{National sports teams of Spain Cricket in Spain 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 ...

Spain in international cricket