Cook Islands national cricket team

The Cook Islands national cricket team is the team that represents the Cook Islands - an island country in a free association with New Zealand - in international cricket. The team is organised by the Cook Islands Cricket Association, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2000^[5] and an associate member when all affiliate members were promoted to that status in 2017.^[1]

The Cook Islands' first international tournament was the 2001 edition of the Pacifica Cup, which was played in New Zealand. The team has played at ICC East Asia-Pacific tournaments, and at the 2006 EAP Trophy finished second to Fiji and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Cricket League.^[6] Outside ICC tournaments, the Cook Islands fielded a team in the cricket tournament at the 2003 South Pacific Games, winning the bronze medal.^[7]

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between the Cook Islands and other ICC members since 1 January 2019 are eligible for T20I status.^[8]

Cook Islands was scheduled to return to international competition at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa,^[9] but choose not to participate and instead concentrate on development of the national team.^[10]

In September 2022 they played the Tāmaki Makaurau Tāne, an all-Māori squad, in Auckland, New Zealand,^[11][12] before participating in the 2022 T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Vanuatu.^[13] They came third in the qualifiers.^[14] Following the competition, they were ranked by the ICC for the first time, at 55th of 82 teams.^[15]