Following the introduction of cricket to the nation by British colonists, Argentina faced Uruguay in its first ever international cricket match in 1868. Matches against Brazil and Chile followed in 1888 and 1893, respectively. There were frequent visits from English teams starting in 1912, including two appearances by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The Argentine national team and the visiting team’s games were given first-class status on four tours, totaling thirteen first-class games between 1912 and 1938.
The core nations of South American cricket, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, started playing regular international matches in the 1920s. These matches have continued to this day (outside the period surrounding World War II). These three groups, along with Peru, founded the South American Championship in 1995, which is now an annual event. Since 2000, Argentina had only sent development teams due to their dominance at the championship, which had seen them win 10 of the sixteen tournaments held (until 2019, when the events’ matches were eligible for Twenty20 International status for the first time).
At the 1979 ICC Trophy in England, the first competition held exclusively for associate members, Argentina made its ICC tournament debut. The team did not participate in the 1982 tournament but did so in five straight ones from 1986 to 2001. However, Argentina won a game when it overcame East and Central Africa in the 1990 tournament. The squad participated in the 2001 edition and finished first in division two with four victories, but they last participated in the now-named World Cup Qualifier a while ago. Argentina was a top associate in the ICC Americas zone in the early 2000s, and when the World Cricket League (WCL) was created in 2007, the team was assigned to Division Three.
Later in the year, it was promoted to Division Two, but it was promptly demoted and kept dropping divisions over the following years. Finally, Argentina was eliminated from the international tournament system in 2013 after finishing fourth in the Division Six competition. The team currently only participates in regional competitions and has yet to qualify again.
Creating the Sport of International Cricket
Argentina’s cricket potential was recognized worldwide because of a strong showing at the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada, especially a shock victory over Malaysia. Undoubtedly the highlight of the international stage was the team’s performance in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Darwin, Australia, in 2007.
The team must now win regional events to return to international competitions. Argentina is the current champion of the annual South American Championship, which features a development team of seasoned and up-and-coming players. The young national teams compete in a yearly South American event, and the U19 team placed second in the most recent Americas Cup regarding net run rate. Not to be forgotten, the Women’s National Team, “The Flamingos,” is the strongest in the subregion (winning 5 out of 6 South American Championships) and fiercely competitive against nations like the USA and Canada. The team’s immediate goal is to compete on a global scale.
Global Cricket League
They were initially eligible for Division Five of the World Cricket League, but Division Three was assigned to them after the USA’s suspension from international cricket. They finished the competition as Uganda’s runners-up and earned a spot in Division Two in Windhoek, Namibia.
Following their promotion, Argentina flew to Namibia in November 2007 to compete in Division Two of the ICC World Cricket League. In addition to Uganda, the other Division Three qualifier, they also faced Denmark, the hosts, Oman, and the UAE. Argentina lost all of their group games, fell to Uganda in a positional playoff, and ended sixth, proving that Division Two was a step too far for them. Argentina, who placed sixth in this competition, was demoted back to Division Three for the 2009 competition, which Argentina hosted from January 24 to January 31, 2009.
Argentina competed in the World Cricket League’s Division Six in 2013 and finished fourth. Under normal conditions, this would have meant that Argentina would compete in Division 6 in 2015, but the ICC is pushing for a change to the World Cricket League’s structure, and unless they mount a strong defense, Argentina may be forced to leave the league.
On October 3, 2019, during the 2019 South American Cricket Championship in Peru, Argentina played their first T20I match against Mexico.
October 3, 2019
08:30
Mexico 46/8 (12 overs) vs Argentina 47/1 (6.3 overs)
Tarun Sharma 22 (21)
Hernán Fennell 2/3 (1 over)
Hernán Fennell 25* (17)
Luis Hermida 1/17 (2 overs)
- By 9 wickets, Argentina prevailed.
- Oscar Andrade (Ber) and Sandeep Harnal, El Cortijo Polo Club Pitch 1, Lima (Can)
- After winning the toss, Argentina decided to field.
- The number of overs was lowered to 12 on each side.
- Argentina’s inaugural T20I game.
- Argentina won the 2019 South American Cricket
- Championship in October after defeating Mexico in the championship match by a margin of four wickets.
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