 | ||||||||||
| Association | Cricket Fiji | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||||||||||
| Captain | Peni Vuniwaqa | |||||||||
| Coach | Jone Seuvou | |||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| First-class debut | vAuckland atAuckland Domain; 25 January 1895 | |||||||||
| International Cricket Council | ||||||||||
| ICC status | Associate member (1965) | |||||||||
| ICC region | East Asia-Pacific | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
| International cricket | ||||||||||
| First international | v Australia atSuva,Fiji; 27 March 1905 | |||||||||
| One Day Internationals | ||||||||||
| World Cup Qualifier appearances | 7 (first in1979) | |||||||||
| Best result | 11th place (1997) | |||||||||
| T20 Internationals | ||||||||||
| First T20I | v Vanuatu atIndependence Park,Port Vila; 9 September 2022 | |||||||||
| Last T20I | v Cook Islands atFaleata Oval 2,Apia; 24 August 2024 | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| As of 24 April 2025 | ||||||||||
TheFiji national cricket team is the men's team that representsFiji ininternational cricket. Fiji has been an associate member of theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) since 1965,[4] although the team's history goes back to the late 19th century.[5]
In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant fullTwenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, allTwenty20 matches played between Fiji and otherICC members since 1 January 2019 have the T20I status.[6]
Cricket was introduced to Fiji by European settlers in 1874, and the native population began taking up the game in 1878. The governor of Fiji at the time listed introducing cricket to the native Fijians as one of the achievements of his tenure in his memoirs.[5]
Fiji was playingfirst-class cricket just 21 years after cricket was introduced to the country, when they touredNew Zealand in early 1895.[7]
Fiji's team on the tour in 1895 was captained byJohn Udal,[8] whose great-grandsonShaun would eventually playTest cricket forEngland.[9] The first match of the tour was a two-day match againstAuckland, which Fiji lost by aninnings.[10]
A low scoring second match againstOtago was drawn after rain washed out the first of the two days.[11] The third match againstCanterbury was also lost by an innings,[12] before a draw againstWellington.[13]
The final two matches of the tour went much better for the Fijians, winning againstHawke's Bay by an innings after acentury fromJohn Collins,[14] and beatingTaranaki by two wickets.[15]
In 1907–08, Fiji toured Australia, playing 26 matches against state, university and district sides between 11 December 1907 and 30 March 1908.[16] In the drawn two-day match againstQueensland, Pope Cakobau took 7 for 105 and 3 for 56.[17] The Fijian team also played a two-day match againstNew South Wales and two againstVictoria. All four of these matches were drawn.
A New Zealand team captained byWalter Harvie, and consisting mostly of players fromAuckland, toured Fiji in March and April 1924, playing five matches, including two three-day matches against Fiji. None of the matches were first-class.[18][19]
A young New Zealand team captained byBruce Massey, known as the Maorilanders, toured Fiji in December 1935 and January 1936, playing nine matches, including two three-day matches against Fiji. None of the matches were first-class.[20][21][22]
Fiji toured New Zealand twice more, in 1948[23] and 1954.[24] Fiji's first match against a Test-playing nation came in 1956, when theWest Indies visited. Fiji won the match against a team featuring the likes ofGarfield Sobers by 28 runs despite being bowled out for 91, largely thanks to a six wicket haul fromJohn Gosling.[25]
Like the tour in 1895, the 1948 tour started with a defeat to Auckland, by 168 runs.[26] Fiji won their next match against Wellington by one wicket,[27] before losing to Canterbury by 36 runs.[28]
The tour continued with a 46 run defeat by Otago[29] and concluded with a 115 run win against Auckland.[30] One notable player for Fiji on this tour wasIL Bula, who scored the most runs and the only century on the tour.[31] Bula's full name is Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau, and his name is thought to be the longest of anyfirst class cricketer.[32]
Just four matches were played on the 1954 tour,[24] which started with a two wicket defeat to Otago.[33] The tour continued with another two wicket defeat, this time to Canterbury,[34] before a 117 run defeat to Wellington.[35] The tour ended with a seven wicket win against Auckland.[36] The team includedRatu Kamisese Mara who would go on to become thePrime Minister andPresident of Fiji.
An England XI played two limited-over matches against the Fiji Cricket Association President's XI in 1984.[37] Basically this was the full England squad of the day on its way to tour New Zealand.[38] The England side won both matches although they were given a serious scare in the second, the Fijian side losing by only 18 runs.[39]
Fiji gainedassociate membership of the ICC in 1965.[4] They played in the first ICC Trophy tournament in1979, and played in every one until2001.[40] They also played in the firstACC Trophy in 1996, losing in the semi-final to theUAE.[41]
In 2001, Fiji played in the firstPacifica Cup inAuckland, reaching the final where they lost to theNew Zealand Māori by three wickets.[42] They played in the 2002 tournament inSamoa, finishing third after beating theCook Islands in a play-off.[43]
In 2003, Fiji hosted theSouth Pacific Games. Thecricket tournament saw the hosts lose toPapua New Guinea in the final.[44] The following year, they took part in theEAP Challenge inFuji City, Japan, winning after beatingTonga in the final. This qualified them for therepêchage tournament for the2005 ICC Trophy.[45] At that tournament inKuala Lumpur,Malaysia, they reached the final, where they lost to Papua New Guinea by 30 runs, thus missing out on the 2005 ICC Trophy.[46]
In 2006, Fiji played in the2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy inBrisbane, Australia. They won the tournament winning all of their matches against the Cook Islands andJapan, qualifying them forDivision Three of theWorld Cricket League inDarwin, Australia. They warmed up for the tournament with a three match series at home againstVanuatu, winning all three matches,[47] but were unsuccessful in the tournament itself, losing all five games they played,[48] thus meaning they will have to take part inDivision Four in 2008.[49]
Later in 2007, they took part in thecricket tournament at the2007 South Pacific Games, losing to Papua New Guinea in the final group game, meaning that they went home with the silver medal.[50]
Fiji took part in the2010 ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Nepal, where they finished sixth and last and in doing so failed to win a single match in the tournament. Fiji then played in the2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Six and finished sixth and last and in doing so were relegated to2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven.
International Match Summary — Fiji[59]
Last updated 24 August 2024
| Playing Record | ||||||
| Format | M | W | L | T | NR | Inaugural Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty20 Internationals | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 9 September 2022 |
T20I record versus other nations[59]
| Opponent | M | W | L | T | NR | First match | First win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Associate Members | |||||||
| Cook Islands | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 September 2022 | 10 September 2022 |
 Samoa | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 September 2022 | 11 September 2022 |
| Vanuatu | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 September 2022 | 23 August 2024 |
Records complete to T20I #2798. Last updated 24 August 2024.
For a list of selected international matches played by Fiji, seeCricket Archive.
Fiji's most famous player isNeil Maxwell, who played first-class cricket forNew South Wales andVictoria in Australia, and forCanterbury in New Zealand in addition to representingAustralia A.[60]Nat Uluiviti is the other Fijian to have played first-class cricket for a team other than Fiji, playing forAuckland in the 1950s.[61]
The Fiji squad at the2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament was as follows:
