Cricket Teams


PAKISTAN

The Pakistan cricket team (Urduپاکستان کرکٹ ٹیم), nicknamed as Green Shirts, is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the team is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and participates in TestODI and Twenty20 International cricket matches. Currently Pakistan is ranked number four as per the ICC Test rankings.Pakistan have played 777 ODIs, winning 417, losing 337, tying 6 and with 17 ending in no-result.Pakistan were the 1992 World Cup champions, and also came runners-up in the 1999 tournament and are the current Asian Champions. Pakistan, in conjunction with other countries on the Subcontinent, have hosted the 1987 & 1996, with the 1996 final being hosted at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The team has also played 58 Twenty20 Internationals, the most of any team, winning 34, losing 22 and tying 2. Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and came runners-up in theinaugural tournament in 2007.


Pakistan have played 370 Test matches, with winning 115, losing 101 and drawing 154. The team has the 3rd-best win/loss ratio in Test cricket of 1.13, and the 5th-best overall win percentage of 31.33%. Pakistan was given Test status on 28 July 1952, following a recommendation by India, and made its Test debut against India at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, in October 1952, with India winning by an innings and 70 runs. Previously, Pakistani cricketers had competed as a part of the British Indian national team before independence of Pakistan in 1947.
Pakistan has won the ICC ODI world cup once in 1992, T20 world cup once in 2009, Asia Cup twicw in 2000 and 2012 and Asian Test Championship in 1998-99.


 AUSTRALIA


The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877.The team also plays One Day International cricket and Twenty20 International, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first Twenty20 International, against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team mainly draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian Domestic One-Day Series and the Big Bash League.
The Australian team has played 744 Test matches, winning 350, losing 194, drawing 198 and tying two. Australia is ranked the number-one team overall in Test cricket in terms of overall wins, win-loss ratio and wins percentage. Australia is currently ranked third in the ICC Test Championship behind England and South Africa as of 12 June 2012.
Australia has played 797 ODI matches, winning 490, losing 272, tying nine and with 26 ending in no-result.
WORLD CUP RECORDS


They have led the ICC ODI Championship since its inception for all but a period of 48 days in 2007. Australia have made record six World Cup final appearances (1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007) and have won the World Cup a record four times in total; 1987 Cricket World Cup1999 Cricket World Cup2003 Cricket World Cup and 2007 Cricket World Cup. Australia is the first team to appear in 4 consecutive World Cup finals (1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007), surpassing the old record of 3 consecutive World Cup appearances by West Indies (1975, 1979 and 1983).
The team was undefeated in 34 consecutive World Cup matches until 19 March at the 2011 Cricket World Cup where Pakistan beat them by 4 wickets. Australia have also won the ICC Champions Trophy twice – in 2006 and in 2009 – making them the first and the only team to become back to back winners in the Champions Trophy tournaments. The team has also played 39 Twenty20 Internationals, making the final of the ICC World Twenty20 which they lost to England


INDIA

The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test and One Day International (ODI) status.
The Indian cricket team is currently ranked fifth by the ICC in Tests, third in ODIs and eighth in T20s. On 2 April 2011, the team won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, its second after 1983. It thus became only the third team after West Indies and Australia to have won the World Cup more than once.Its is first cricket team to win world cup on home soil. In both Tests and ODIs, win-loss ratio of recent years is much higher than that of older periods, when it was a weaker team. Currently Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the captain in all forms of the game while Duncan Fletcher is the coach. Under the leadership of Dhoni, the Indian team has set a national record for most back-to-back ODI wins (9 straight wins) and has emerged as one of the most formidable teams in international cricket.



Although cricket was introduced to India by European merchant sailors in the 18th-century and the first cricket club in India was established in Calcutta in 1792, India's national cricket team did not play their first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's. They became the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status. In their first fifty years of international cricket, India proved weaker than Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 test matches. The team, however, gained strength near the end of the 1970s with the emergence of players such as Sunil GavaskarKapil Dev and the Indian spin quartetErapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (both off spinners), Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (a leg spinner), and Bishen Singh Bedi (a left-arm spinner). Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, the Indian team has improved its overseas form since the start of the 21st century. It won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev, was runners-up in 2003 under Sourav Ganguly, and won the World Cup a second time in 2011 under MS Dhoni. India have also been the Runners-up in 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, and the Joint Champions along with Sri Lanka in 2002 ICC Champions Trophy led by Sourav Ganguly in both the instances. India also won the inauguralWorld Twenty20 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2007. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag who hold numerous cricketing world records.

WEST INDIES
The West Indian cricket team, also known as the West Indies or, colloquially, the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.
From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, the West Indies team was one of the strongest in the world in both Test and One Day International cricket. A number of cricketers considered among the best in the world have hailed from the West Indies: Sir Garfield SobersLance GibbsGordon GreenidgeGeorge HeadleyClive LloydMalcolm MarshallAndy RobertsAlvin KallicharranRohan KanhaiFrank WorrellEverton WeekesCurtly AmbroseMichael HoldingJoel Garner and SirViv Richards have all been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame,[1] while world-record holder Brian Lara was a West Indies Test player.[2][3]
The West Indies have won the ICC Cricket World Cup twice, in 1975 and 1979, the ICC Champions Trophy once, in 2004, were runners up in the Under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2004 and semi finalists in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009. The first cricket team to win the World Cup twice, their record was surpassed by four World Cup wins by Australia, and equalled by India in 2011. West Indies are also the first team to win back to back World Cups, since surpassed by three consecutive World Cup wins by Australia (1999, 2003 and 2007). West Indies is the first team to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals (1975, 1979 and 1983), since surpassed by four consecutive World Cup finals appearances by Australia (1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007).

ENGLAND

The England cricket team  is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 1903 until the end of 1996.
England and Australia were the first teams to be granted Test status on 15 March 1877 and they gained full membership to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 15 June 1909. England and Australia also took part in the first One Day International (ODI) on 5 January 1971 and England's first international Twenty20 match was played on 13 June 2005 against Australia.
As of 11 August 2012, England have won 329 of the 925 Test matches they have played (with 329 draws). England's One Day International record includes finishing as runners-up in three Cricket World Cups (1979, 1987 and 1992), and also as runners up in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004.The England team are the current ICC World Twenty20 champions and are the current holders of the Ashes. As of 12 September 2012, the team is ranked first in the ICC ODI Championship and the Twenty20 world rankings

SOUTH AFRICA

The South African national cricket team, nicknamed the Proteas, represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa
South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status.
As of 11 November 2011, the South African team has played 359 Test matches, winning 126 (35.09%), losing 124 (34.54%) and drawing 109 (30.36%) of its games.
As of 11 November 2011, the South African team has played 462 ODI Matches, winning 288 (62.33%), losing 157 (33.98%), drawing 5 (1.08%) and getting a "No Result" in 12 (2.60%) of its games.
On 28th August 2012 South Africa became the first team to be number 1 in all 3 formats of the game.
South Africa has never once won a world cup ( T20 or ODI ) but reached the semi final thrice against England, Australia and again Australia in 1992, 1999 and 2007 world cups respectively. South Africa once reached the semi final against Pakistan in  2009 T20 world cup.

SRI LANKA


The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.
Sri Lanka's national cricket team achieved considerable success beginning in the 1990s, rising from underdog status to winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996. Since then, the team has continued to be a force in international cricket. The Sri Lankan cricket team reached the finals of the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cupsconsecutively. But they ended up being runners up in both those occasions. The batting of Sanath Jayasuriya (retired) and Aravinda de Silva (retired), backed up by the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan (retired) and Chaminda Vaas (retired), among many other talented cricketers, has underpinned the successes of Sri Lankan cricket during the last 15 years.
Sri Lanka have won the Cricket World Cup in 1996, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 (co-champions with India), have been consecutive runners up in the 2007and 2011 Cricket World Cups, and have been runners up in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009. The Sri Lankan cricket team currently holds several world records, including world records for highest team totals in all three forms of the game, TestODI and Twenty20.

NEW ZEALAND
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first Test in 1930 againstEngland in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the West Indies atEden Park in Auckland.They played their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch.
The current TestOne-day and Twenty20 captain is Ross Taylor. Taylor replaced Daniel Vettori after Vettori stepped down following the 2011 World Cup. Vettori had replaced New Zealand's most successful captain, Stephen Fleming, who led New Zealand to 28 Test victories, more than twice as many as any other captain. The national team is organised by New Zealand Cricket.
The New Zealand cricket team became known as the Black Caps in January 1998, after its sponsor at the time, Clear Communications, held a competition to choose a name for the team. Official New Zealand Cricket sources typeset the nickname as BLACKCAPS.
As of February 2012, New Zealand have played 368 Test matches, winning 71, losing 148 and drawing 149.

BANGLADESH

he Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test and One Day International(ODI) status. It played its first Test match in 2000 against India in Dhaka, becoming the tenth Test cricket playing nation.
Bangladesh's first official foray into international cricket came in the 1979 ICC Trophy in England, leaving the tournament with 2 wins and 2 defeats. Seven years later, on 31 March 1986, Bangladesh played in its first ODI match against Pakistan in the 1986 Asia Cup. Cricket has gradually become very popular in urban areas of the country. Although football was the most popular game for a long time, cricket gained momentum and soon surpassed football, especially after Bangladesh won the 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia. By winning the tournament, Bangladesh qualified for the 1999 Cricket World Cup for the first time, where they defeated Pakistan, creating one of the biggest upsets in their cricketing history. In 1997, Bangladesh became a regular ICC member with the right to play ODIs. It attained the status of a Test playing country on 26 June 2000.


Bangladesh hold the record for most consecutive losses in Tests (21 between 1999 and 2002) and ODIs (23 between 2001 and 2004). After gaining full member status with the ICC, Bangladesh had to wait until 2004 for its first ODI win since the 1999 World Cup. The team on the losing side on that occasion was Zimbabwe, who also participated in Bangladesh's maiden Test victory in 2005; by securing a draw in the second match, Bangladesh won their first Test series. In 2009 Bangladesh toured the West Indies for two Tests and by winning both secured their first overseas series victory.
As of April 2012, Bangladesh has played 73 Tests, winning only 3. Its first victory was against a young and inexperienced Zimbabwe team, which was hit by aplayer crisis and the other two were against a West Indian team crippled by a players' strike. Of the 63 matches it has lost, 35 were by an innings.The lack of a first-class tournament in the country before it was granted Test status has been cited as one of the reasons for the side's struggle to adapt to the longest form of the game, and Bangladesh's performance has led to repeated calls for it to lose its Test status. The team has been more successful in ODIs, having won 72 of its 262 matches,and has also played 18 Twenty20 Internationals, winning four.

 IRELAND

The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union (ICU) was not elected to theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the governing body of Irish cricket. The Irish cricket team is made up of both professional cricketers and those who earn their living outside the sport. Cricket Ireland, which succeeded the Irish Cricket Union as the sport's governing body in the country, introduced contracts for its players in 2009, and as of the 2011 Cricket World Cup 13 players have full-time contracts.
The first match played by an Irish team was in 1855. Since then, Ireland have gained a reputation for giant-killing. Ireland played their first One Day International(ODI) in 2006 against England. Since then, they have gone on to play 61 ODIs, resulting in 29 victories, 28 defeats, 3 no results, and 1 tie. Highlights in Ireland's cricketing history include beating a touring West Indies side in 1928, 1969, and again in 2004, progressing to the second round of the 2007 World Cup – in which they beat Pakistan and Bangladesh and tied with Zimbabwe – and beating England in the 2011 World Cup.

Ireland take part in the ICC Trophy, the European Cricket Championship (which they have won three times and hold the title of European champions), and the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which they have won consecutively three times since 2005. Until 2009, the team also competed in the Friends Provident Trophy against English counties. Ireland is an Associate member of the ICC; Associates are the next level of team below those that play Test cricket. Due to their successes in the Intercontinental Cup and at the World Cup, they have been labelled the "leading Associate". Ireland is currently one of the teams in Division 1 of Associate Members of International Cricket Council who has One Day International and T20 International status. After the tremendous success at International stage, Cricket Ireland has applied for Full Membership from the International Cricket Council. Ireland have won the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2008 and 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier and qualified for 2009 and 2010 World Twenty20 tournaments, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Being a full member will allow Ireland to become a permanent One Day International playing nation and eventually grant them Test status.


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