 Flag of Egypt (1922-1958) | |
| International Cricket Council | |
|---|---|
| ICC status | Non-member |
| ICC region | Africa |
| International cricket | |
| First international | 11 March 1909 v MCC at Gezira Sporting Club, Cairo |
| As of 12 April 2008 | |
The Egypt national cricket team was the team that represented the country of Egypt in international cricket matches. They were active from 1909 until World War II. [1]
Cricket was first played in Egypt in the 19th century, and a cricket club was formed in Alexandria by British residents in 1851. Cricket was very much a recreational activity until the opening of the Suez Canal saw the British population increase (see History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty). [1]
More clubs were established by the military, who began to dominate the local game. In October 1884, a combined Army and Navy team played against Alfred Shaw's XI [2] who were on their way to Australia for an Ashes tour. [1]
By 1909, cricket had become the main sporting and social activity of the British population, and standards were good enough for the Marylebone Cricket Club to send a team to tour in 1909. A national side was raised for the first time, and the MCC played three matches against them, winning two and losing the other. [1] They also played matches against local clubs in addition to teams representing the military and civilian populations. [3]
I Zingari toured in March 1914. They played three matches against the national side in addition to matches against Cairo and Alexandria Cricket Club. [4] The matches against the national side saw two draws [5] [6] and one win for the tourists. [7] A return visit of sorts took place later in the year with a combined Egypt/Sudan team playing the MCC at Lord's in a two-day match. The MCC won by ten wickets. [8]
The Free Foresters were the third tourists in 1927, playing twice against the national team, [9] losing the first match [10] and drawing the second. [11] One player in the Free Foresters team on the tour was Hubert Martineau, [10] who was to provide regular opposition for Egypt in the forthcoming years. [1]
Martineau took a team to Egypt every year between 1929 and 1939. [12] The tours typically included two matches against the national side in addition to matches against club and military teams. [13]
Although Egypt were playing matches regularly against Martineau's team, the quality of cricket in the country began to decline in the 1930s. As cricket was dominated by the military, the players changed often, leading to a lack of consistency. Players from the local civilian population were often ignored, and only one native Egyptian ever played for the team. [1]
Martineau's tours ceased with the outbreak of the Second World War, and whilst cricket was played in the country during the war, the matches were solely recreational activities for troops stationed in the country. The national team never played again after the war. [1]
Attempts were made to resurrect cricket in the country, with an Egyptian club team touring England in 1951, and playing the MCC at Lord's. Omar Sharif, the filmstar and bridge player, was a member of that team. The players in these clubs were from the upper classes and supported the Egyptian monarchy, leading to little support for cricket when the monarchy was abolished in 1953. The new government took no interest in the game and cricket began a steady decline, with schools stopping their teaching of the game. [1] Gezira Sporting Club played a match against the visiting Pakistan in 1954, but the match was ended early so that the Pakistan players could visit the pyramids and the Sphinx. [14]
Cricket grounds began to be built over, and it was not until the late 1990s that the game saw a resurgence amongst the Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and British expatriate communities. [1] As of 2001, attempts were being made to reintroduce cricket into schools. [15] A cricket league in Cairo was being played by April 2008 [16] and it is hoped that Egypt will eventually take part in the North West African Championship. [17]
The only native Egyptian to play for the national team was Abdou Hassanein, who took 17 wickets in his two matches. [1] John Traicos, who played Test cricket for South Africa and Zimbabwe, was born in Zagazig, Egypt. [18] The following players played first-class cricket and played for Egypt:
Edward George Wynyard was an English sportsman and a career officer in the British Army. He was primarily known as a first-class cricketer who played at domestic level predominantly for Hampshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), in addition to playing Test cricket for England on three occasions. He made over 150 appearances in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1912, as a batsman whom Wisden described as "a splendid forcing batsman". He scored over 8,300 runs and made thirteen centuries. He was an important figure in Hampshire's return to first-class status in 1894, and shortly after he was engaged as both captain and president of Hampshire. Wynyard would later serve on the committee of the MCC.
Geoffrey Bevington Legge was an English first-class cricketer who played in five Test matches between 1927 and 1930. He was born at Bromley, Kent and died at Brampford Speke, Devon in a flying accident while serving in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II.
John Erskine Scott Walford was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he played 11 first-class matches between 1923 and 1932, six for Worcestershire and five for the British Army cricket team. He also represented the Egypt national cricket team.
William Harrington was an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he played 28 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1894 and 1921, including fifteen first-class matches.
William Drummond Hamilton was an Irish cricketer and footballer. A left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, he played fourteen times for the Ireland cricket team between 1883 and 1896, and also played first-class cricket for Oxford University and the MCC.
The Federated Malay States cricket team was a team that represented the Federated Malay States in international cricket matches between 1905 and 1940. Cricket has been played in Peninsular Malaysia since the 1880s, and the Federated Malay States usually combined with the Straits Settlements cricket team to form the Malaya cricket team. Indeed, of their 37 recorded matches, only one was not against the Straits Settlements.
Hubert Melville Martineau was an English patron of cricket and organiser of his own team. He also played three first-class matches between 1931 and 1932. When he played, he was a right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler.
Richard Edwardes More was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Middlesex, amongst others, and later played for the Egypt national cricket team while he was working for the Sudan Civil Service.
Lieutenant-Colonel Godfrey Christopher Firbank MC was an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he played first-class cricket for the Army and for the Combined Services in addition to international matches for Egypt.
Francis Galpin Rogers was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club between 1924 and 1931 and also represented the Egypt national cricket team.
Brigadier Robert George William Melsome MBE was a senior British Army officer and English cricketer. He saw active service during the Second World War, but spent much of the war as a prisoner of war in Germany.
Colonel William Alexander Camac Wilkinson, was a highly decorated British Army officer and English cricketer. Australian born, he served with the British Army in both the First and Second World Wars. After the Second World War he spent some time in Graz, Austria, as Senior Military Government Officer in the occupation forces.
Captain Joshua David Gerald Chaytor was an Irish-born cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he played first-class cricket in the 1924 English cricket season and also represented the Egypt national cricket team.
Edward Cawston was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, he played first-class cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club and Cambridge University between 1928 and 1933 and also represented the Egypt national cricket team in 1936.
Colonel Ronald Ernest Stephen Yeldham was an Indian-born British Army officer and cricketer.
Guy Fife Earle was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Surrey and Somerset for 20 years before and after the First World War. He also played in India, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand as a member of official Marylebone Cricket Club touring teams, though he did not play Test cricket.
Robert Strickland Gilbert Scott played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Sussex between 1930 and 1934. A right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler, he was Sussex captain in a few matches in 1932 and regularly in 1933, at first unofficially because of the ill-health of K. S. Duleepsinhji, and then as the official captain later in the 1933 season.
Charles William Christopher Packe was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Leicestershire between 1929 and 1934 and captained the team for much of the 1932 season. He was born at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and died near Caen, France, during the Second World War. He was a career army officer and also played cricket for the British Army cricket team.
Colonel Leonard George Irvine was a British Army doctor who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps before, during and after World War II. As a young man he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University.
Frederick Henry Browning was an English first-class cricketer, rackets player and British Army officer.
| |
