Austria Cricket Team Guide
The Austria cricket team is an associate member of the ICC and is organised by the Austrian Cricket Association. The country has sporadically played sports like cricket throughout its history. But has begun making its mark on the international stage following the turn of the millennium, like many other international cricket teams in Europe.
History of Austria Cricket Team
The game of cricket was actually introduced in Austria by expats working in the banks of Vienna towards the beginning of the 1900s. The end of the 19th century saw the Vienna Cricket and Football Club founded; however, the sport actually disappeared in the county until after WW2 when occupying troops reintroduced it. The Austrian Cricket Association was founded in 1981, and the country made its international debut against the Guernsey cricket team in 1990. The Austria cricket team became an associate member of the International Cricket Council in 2017 and was granted T20I status the year after.
Top Run Scorers In Austria Cricket Team History
Right-hand batter Razmal Shigiwal was the first to reach the 100-run mark for his country in T20I cricket, a significant milestone. Bilal Zalmai is another notable batter to take to the crease for the Austria cricket team, actually being the first to record a century for his nation in T20I cricket.
Top Wicket Takers In Austria Cricket Team History
Amit Nathwani, Abdullah Akbarjan and Aqib Iqbal were the first players to take 30 wickets for the Austria cricket team in T20I cricket, with the latter actually being amongst the first to take 5 wickets in a single game for Austria.
Memorable Games For The Austria Cricket Team
April 2018 saw the International Cricket Council grant all associate members with full T20I status, including the Austria cricket team. In August of the following year, the Austrians faced off against the Romania cricket team in their first-ever official T20I match. This was an away match for Austria, with them winning the toss and choosing to field first. An impressive bowling performance followed from Bilal Zalmai, who took 4 wickets from just 12 balls. However, as the Austria cricket team took to the crease, the batters struggled to get a foothold, with Anthony Lark only managing 30 runs from 41 balls. The Austrians fell short by 31 runs; however, this was still a monumental match for the nation in terms of cricket.
July 2023 saw another significant game for the Austria cricket team as they played their first-ever T20I match against a full ICC member. This was against the Ireland cricket team, and despite losing this match as well, its competitiveness showed the progress of cricket in the country.
Rivals Of The Austria Cricket Team
The Austria cricket team would maybe consider the Germany cricket team as Rivals due to their geographical proximity and already established rivalries in other sports. The Austria cricket team has also had a number of close match-ups with the Belgium cricket team; however, they wouldn’t necessarily be rivals of the Austrians.
