Emma Catherine Bargna (born 24 November 2004) is a German cricketer who plays for the
national cricket team as a
bowler. She was the first player, male or female, to take a
five-wicket haul
In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batter.
Takin ...
for Germany in a
Twenty20 International
Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of Twenty20 cricket, in which each team plays a single innings with a maximum of twenty overs. The matches are played between international teams recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). ...
.
Early life and career
Bargna was born in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
but was raised partially in
Wylam
Wylam is a village and civil parish in the county of Northumberland, England. It is located about west of Newcastle upon Tyne.
It is famous for the being the birthplace of George Stephenson, one of the early railway pioneers. George Stephen ...
,
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
, England, where she played for the women's cricket team. After returning to Munich, she went on to play for the Bavarian Cricket Academy.
Bargna's playing role is as a
spin bowler
Spin bowling is a bowling technique in cricket, in which the ball is delivered relatively slowly but with rapid rotation, giving it the potential to deviate sharply after bouncing. A bowler who uses this technique is called a spinner, a spin b ...
. In 2019, aged just 14, she was chosen as Germany's young cricketer of the year. The following year, she was named Germany U23's bowler of the year, and captain of the year.
International career
On 26 June 2019, Bargna made her
WT20I debut for Germany against
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
at the
La Manga Club Ground,
Murcia
Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...
, Spain, in the first match of the
2019 ICC Women's Qualifier Europe
The 2019 ICC Women's Qualifier Europe was a cricket tournament that was held in Spain in June 2019. The matches in the tournament were played as Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), with the top team progressing to both the 2019 ICC Women's ...
, which was also Germany's first ever WT20I.
She opened the bowling, and took two wickets in her first two overs.
In February 2020, Bargna participated in
a bilateral series between Germany and
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
at the
Al Amerat Cricket Stadium
Oman Cricket Academy Ground, also known as the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, is a cricket ground in Al Amarat, south of Muscat, Oman. The ground is owned by the Oman Cricket Board. In January 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave accr ...
,
Muscat
Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
. She was selected to play in three of the four WT20I matches despite having broken a finger in training just two weeks earlier.
During
Germany's next bilateral series, a five-WT20I contest with
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
at the
Seebarn Cricket Ground
Seebarn Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Seebarn, Austria. It was opened in 1995 as the first dedicated Cricket Ground in Austria. In 2000 a permanent sight screen was added to the ground and in 2001 a pavilion.
The ground is the home bas ...
near Vienna in August 2020, Bargna opened the bowling in all matches except the third one, in which she was rested due to injury.
In the first match, held on 12 August 2020, she starred with 3/13 in Germany's 82-run victory.
The following day, in the second match, she became the first player, male or female, to bag a five-wicket haul for Germany in a T20I. After taking wickets with the first and third balls of her first over before any run had been scored, she finished with 5/9 from four overs.
Germany won the match by 138 runs, and eventually won the series 5–0.
Bargna's overall figures for the series were 10/36, from 15 overs.
In July 2021, in Germany's
next bilateral series, against
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
at the
Bayer Uerdingen Cricket Ground
The Bayer Uerdingen Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Krefeld, Germany. Built to international standards, it is part of Germany's national cricket performance centre, which includes a three lane indoor training net facility.
The performance ...
,
Krefeld
Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...
, Bargna opened the bowling in four of the matches, and achieved an economy rate of 3.42, but did not take any wickets. The following month, Bargna played in one of Germany's matches in the
2021 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier
The 2021 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier was a cricket tournament that was played in August 2021 in Spain. The matches were played as Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), with the top team progressing to the 2022 ICC Women's T20 ...
.
See also
*
*
List of Germany women Twenty20 International cricketers
This is a list of Germany women Twenty20 International cricketers. A Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) is an international cricket match between two representative teams. A T20I is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket. In April 2018, the ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bargna, Emma
2004 births
Living people
Germany women Twenty20 International cricketers
Germany women's national cricket team
Sportspeople from Munich