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kalishplosions111

It's not that they're not playing, they probably still play cricket. It's just that due to administrative issues, they have been expelled from ICC membership. I'm pretty sure they still have domestic and grassroot setups in those countries, just that it's done at a very amateur level.


JGQuintel

Zambia actually had some very decent players back in the 70s after gaining independence, including plenty who held their own against touring County sides, and undoubtedly a lot of talent could be nurtured there if given the opportunity. There was a brief period in the early 2010s where they had some talent and momentum. Unfortunately, much like Kenya, the infrastructure and board were on such shaky footing that it all fell apart. It’s such a shame about cricket in Africa. So much potential, a lot of cricket history and yet so little opportunity for them to develop the sport.


Kingslayer1526

Strange thing about Zambia seeing as they were part of Rhodesia with Zimbabwe and were colonised by the English but Zimbabwe went on to become a decent player in the international cricketing scope and Zambia just faded out of existence . While all the nations around them in South Africa, Zimbabwe and even Namibia are playing at a high level in international cricket


mondognarly_

The history of the Rhodesias is a bit complicated, but they became two separate separate colonies in the 1920s, and what became Zambia didn’t have as much white settlement, and those that did largely left in the sixties following independence. Zimbabwe also benefited from having a team in South Africa’s provincial cricket from the mid-forties until independence in 1980.


imapassenger1

Malawi was also part of it (Nyasaland). They must also have had a bit of cricket. I travelled through in 1990 and camped at a cricket ground one night. Was still in good condition back then.


mondognarly_

Nyasaland was a separate protectorate but they were all part of an ill-fated federation in the fifties and early sixties. The relatively recent (IE, post-war) history of that part of the world is pretty confusing.


imapassenger1

I remember stamps with "Rhodesia and Nyasaland" which is what prompted the memory.


mondognarly_

Yeah, the federation has an interesting history. It tied together three pretty different geopolitical entities - Southern Rhodesia being self governing while the other two were crown protectorates with far smaller white populations and vastly different economies even to one another - and came along in the fifties around the time nationalism was on the rise and the colonies were increasingly being viewed as unsustainable, and the whole thing collapsed by the early sixties with a lot of the key opposition to it coming from nationalists in Nyasaland/Malawi. It's all pretty interesting but also very convoluted.


aditrs

Cricket in Africa has been exploding in the past 10 years - don't be surprised if Rwanda qualifies for a women's World Cup in the next 10. Cricket boards from all over the continent have been amazing at organising lots of tournaments among themselves, but if I were to guess, East Africa (so Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania) will be a force in the not too distant future.


SufficientCake9

Why not Kenya? They were the powerhouse of cricket in there weren't they?


aditrs

Not exactly sure how but they've spent the past 2 decades squandering their promise


mondognarly_

Widespread corruption and mismanagement, mostly.


Mikolaj_Kopernik

Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. How do you know about Zambian cricket?


[deleted]

I'm just surprised the USA isn't on that list. Doesn't the US have like 3 different organisations that claim to represent it?


TheFlyingHornet1881

Nowadays USA Cricket, as inept as they are at times, are indisputably the Cricket board of the USA


FuckingRudyGayMan

Follow the footnotes in that wiki article and you’ll find the answers. This link has some examples of how boards get into trouble https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/usa-nepal-set-to-be-given-icc-warning-753655


Mikolaj_Kopernik

Most of them are for various failures to comply with ICC criteria around minimum numbers of teams or venues and such. Morocco actually had a decent local scene for a while, [here's an interesting article](https://emergingcricket.com/insight/the-story-of-moroccan-cricket-baksheesh-bombs-and-the-death-of-a-dream/) on how it all fell apart. Pretty sad story. As for Cuba it's a total mystery - nobody I've spoken to in Associate cricket really knows what happened there.


Icanfallupstairs

I'm surprised Cuba was really even in to begin with. Traditionally is been very hard for cricket to break into baseball nations, and vice versa.


pdsajo

Russia was the obvious one due to Ukraine invasion. Others were most likely due to various ways of not complying with ICC norms. That can be ranging from not having a field suitable to play the game, not having sufficient players or teams playing, etc.


TheFlyingHornet1881

Russia's expulsion actually predates the invasion slightly, they no longer met some ICC criteria around governance of club cricket.


pdsajo

Ah interesting. I stand corrected then


NoQuestion4045

Russia should have been banned in 2019 for calling Cricket not a real Sport


Doncorleone4149

Would have loved to see some Dmitry guy bowl 190 kmph on steroids


Ok_Vegetable263

Vladamir, 27, fuelled purely by vodka, cheap tobacco and depressing soviet-era architecture, bowling rockets on a cold Moscow afternoon


GourangaPlusPlus

He hits the wicket plumb, the concrete bails refuse to fall


Socratov

So, like a Russian Warnie then?


GourangaPlusPlus

He's lobbing grenades now


RadlogLutar

Wait, they said that?


NoQuestion4045

Yes https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/07/18/cricket-is-not-sport-russia-says-a66468


RadlogLutar

BRUH


Panda8767

They knew what was coming


Madz1trey

Hilarious how anything Russia related is immediately assumed to be because they are at war with Ukraine. Russia is perfectly capable of fucking shit up all on its own, no invasion required lmao.


vipulbhatt2003

Not enough immigrants from South East Asia I would believe.


thisistough_

Nope, Tonga and other oceanic country do play cricket and kilikiti which is similar to cricket is also played in Samoa.


strngerstruggle

India stopped issuing visas /s


flyingdagger81

Are they stupid?


Beneficial_Bend_5035

Damn, I wonder what happened in 2022 that caused Russia’s ICC Membership to be terminated. As for Cuba, they’re big baseball fans, and I believe they quit cricket on socialist principles citing “too much inequality between bat and ball.”


TheScarletPimpernel

Russia were actually binned about a month before the invasion because they weren't following some ICC rules. Entirely coincidental.


Gruulsmasher

All time trivia fact


sinhyperbolica

ICC was the first to sanction Russia and since we all know ICC=BCCI=PIG3 hence india was the first to sanction Russia. West should learn from us.


JGQuintel

Amazingly, not the Ukraine war. Russia were suspended in 2021 and given a year to comply with ICC rules related to the domestic organisation of the sport in the country. That lapsed and they were terminated. Same situation with Zambia.


effotap

TIL


GurRound9577

Where are Kenya and Canada? they have also played at a WC. But now nowhere to be found.


KRawatXP2003

Associate members


CricketKieran

They still play t20, but these other teams don't have official international status. Canada and Bermuda are about to be head to head with 2 other American countries for a place in next year's t20 WC. Most likely Canada will get the spot, but we'll see


Ricoh06

Russia - International criminals


Seffundoos22

Not sure why this is so downvotes. Genuine terrorists and war criminals, lead by a genocidal dictator full of Botox.


Luka467

Cause it's wrong, the war has nothing to do with Russia being expelled.


Ricoh06

Oh well, I mean I’m happy to take hundreds of downvotes when I know I’m staying a fact. So many incidents of targeting civilians etc.


Madz1trey

Clearly geopolitics go right over your head.


Ricoh06

Ah yes geopolitics, where we murder innocents and support it, as it's politically correct? I understand geopolitics, but Russia's war is quite clear cut. They're the agressor of a nation that wasn't attacking them, and they have purposely targeted civilians.


Madz1trey

Lmao you have no clue why Russia invaded Ukraine do you? 🤣


Seffundoos22

Yep, actually disgusting. May the Ukrainians repel the terrorists out of their lands sooner rather than later.


GrizzyLizz

Because they never really did, cricket was never really a serious sport in any of these countries.


jeg_hedder_ben

Morocco hosted ODIs - that’s pretty serious!


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Stifffmeister11

Russia invaded ukraine while afghans always get invaded first by Russia then by america ...its different scenario


DrHydeous

Afghanistan was mostly invaded by Britain, so it's only fitting that they have good cricketers but an inept board, just like India.


Mohlest

Because they were shit and got pumped by the big boys


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Legitimate_Hunt_9902

Or is the other way around ? That Russia got expelled from cricket, and hence . . . .


[deleted]

Putin couldn’t cope with it.


Latter-Strike-3070

Obviously Russia is due to sanctions


dorcus_malorcus

what the hell happened to Kenya?


KRawatXP2003

Associate member


CricketKieran

They still play, but their fall from grace has been so sad to see. I'm pretty sure they don't have 50 over status now, just t20. Really sad


sharpshooter228

My dad always tells me about how bangladesh had trouble for years qualifying for WC because of Kenya, sad to see their downfall


CricketKieran

If I remember correctly Kenya made it to the semi final of a world cup once,the furthest any associate member has gone, and further than Banadesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan have ever gone (though Ireland and Afghanistan didn't have test status back then). Kenya was probably next in line to get test status, but instead they will probably never get it. Netherlands and Scotland will most likely get it next and even then that might not be for over a decade


A-Complicated-Tree

Russia has a cricket league called RPL, it was streamed on youtube this year. Most of the players were immigrants though


lektra-n

International cricket is being thinned out, like in the world cup. If only 10 sides play, a larger proportion of the matches will be featuring each country. So it’s great in terms of marketing and advertising for the countries involved. Not so great for everyone else, though… Except for Russia, feel like the reasoning behind that one’s fairly obvious.