Portugal National Cricket Team Guide
Representing the nation of Portugal on an international stage, the Portugal cricket team is governed by the Portuguese Cricket Federation and is an ICC associate member. Portugal is just one of the rising international cricket teams to be coming out of Europe.
History of Portugal National Cricket Team
The origins of cricket in Portugal can actually be traced back to the early 1800s in the Peninsular War. This saw encamped British troops in Lisbon introduce the game. Due to frequent visits from English cricket clubs in the country, the game was almost confined to expatriate communities. However, this only helped the notoriety and popularity of the sport grow in the country. In 1994, the Portuguese Cricket Federation was founded, and the Portugal cricket team became an ICC affiliate two years after that. In 2017, the nation became an ICC associate member and gained T20I status the following year.
Top Run Scorers In Portugal National Cricket Team History
Najjam Shahzad and Azhar Andani are two of the most prolific batters to take to the crease for the Portugal national cricket team in T20I cricket, with the latter being the first to hit a century in a match for Portugal in this cricketing format.
Top Wicket Takers In Portugal National Cricket Team History
Sirajullah Khadim is one of the most notable bowlers for the Portugal cricket team, with him being one of the first to surpass 20 wickets and record 5 in a T20I match for his nation.
Memorable Games For The Portugal National Cricket Team
One of the standout moments for the Portugal cricket team was their first international tournament. This was the European Nations Cup back in 1997, and this saw them placed in a group with 3 other nations. The first game was against the Greece cricket team in which Portugal smashed Greeces 115 runs by finishing their innings with 266. The Malta cricket team and Austria cricket team fixtures followed, both of which the Portugal national cricket team managed to dispatch in impressive fashion to top their group.
This saw the Portuguese side progress to the semi-finals, in which they faced off against the France cricket team. The French bowled first; however, strong performances from their bowlers saw the Portugal cricket team finish 156 all out. This was chased very easily by the French, who made 157 with a whole 7 wickets spare. Although this was an unexpected defeat due to the teams’ form going into this knockout round, the group stage dominance proved the significant development of the Portugal national cricket team.
Like with all other ICC associate members back in 2018, the Portugal national cricket team gained full T20 International status. In October of 2019, Portugal played their first full T20I match in the Iberia Cup against the Spain cricket team. Before the game commenced, Spain won the toss, opting to field first. Strong performances from the Spanish bowlers only saw the Portugal cricket team get 87 runs from their 20 overs, with their batters struggling to find a rhythm. The same applied when it was Spain’s turn to step up to the crease as Tariq Aziz took the most wickets with two. However, those were the only wickets taken by the Portugal cricket team as Spain Finished 89/2 with just under 6 overs to spare. Although the performance wasn’t the desired one for the Portuguese team, it still marked a milestone in their cricketing journey.
Rivals Of The Portugal National Cricket Team
No out-and-out nations are considered rivals of the Portugal national cricket team. However, they have had a number of competitive matchups against the Malta cricket team and Gibraltar cricket team.
