THAILAND

Thailand Cricket team is a national cricket team that plays for the country of Thailand. The team became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the year 1995. It became an associate nation in the year 2005. They won the bronze medal in 2017 South East Asian Games. This was the 50 Over tournament. However, in the 20 over tournament they were fourth. They lost to Indonesia.

In April 2018, the ICC gave full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Since January 1, 2019, every Twenty20 match between Thailand and another ICC member has become a full T20I.

History of Thailand

Children from elite Thai families introduced Cricket in Thailand. They learned the game during their studies in England.  The Bangkok City Cricket Club was established by them in 1890. Moreover, in November of that year, the team played its inaugural match. The Singapore Cricket Club received an invitation to visit the city. However, they declined out of concern for a cholera outbreak.

However, cricket did not take off in the Thai community. By the early 1900s, the game was almost exclusively played by expatriate residents in Thailand. In the first international cricket match, Siam defeated Straits Settlements by an Innings, The match took place in Singapore in January 1909. This was largely due to the efforts of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The Club started playing cricket in 1905.  The Straits Settlements won the third and final match in December 1911. However,  Siam won the final match in Bangkok in the year 1911.

Cricket continued to be played for fun and pleasure. The national team didn’t return to international cricket until 1990. However, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, a variety of teams visited the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. These teams included Worcestershire in 1965 and the MCC in 1970. Moreover, this promoted the construction of further cricket facilities.

The early-1990s were one of the most successful periods for Thai cricket. But tight ICC player eligibility regulations came into action when they became an ICC affiliate member in 1995. This led to them being compelled to field weaker teams. This coincided with financial problems, causing Thailand to pull out of tournaments. However, in the early years of the 21st century, there has been a rise in youth cricket. Along with this, the game is promoted throughout the country among different communities and cultures,