Cricket At The 1998 Commonwealth Games
Cricket was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. This was the first—and, to date, only—time cricket has been played at a Commonwealth Games. Matches were played over 50 overs, and had List A status, although they were not full One Day Internationals. As is normal at the Commonwealth Games, the Caribbean islands that entered participated as separate nations, not as the combined West Indies team. Indeed, the Games were the first occasion on which an Antigua and Barbuda side competed at a senior level. Northern Ireland also entered, this occurrence being noteworthy because Irish cricket is usually represented by an all-island Irish cricket team.
Sixteen teams entered the competition, including seven of the nine then Test-playing nations: West Indies did not enter as mentioned above, while England declined to send a team at all, on the grounds that the September date chosen clashed with other fixtures such as the end of the County Championship. The strength of the teams that were entered varied somewhat: Australia sent a high-quality squad packed with Test and ODI regulars while India and Pakistan sent weakened teams as a result of a clash with the 1998 Sahara Cup. Eventual gold medal winners South Africa were also below full strength, though their team still included Test regulars Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini, Mark Boucher, and Herschelle Gibbs.
Read more about Cricket At The 1998 Commonwealth Games: Competition Format, Teams, Final Group Tables, Legacy, Medallists
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