New Zealand Māori cricket team

The New Zealand Māori cricket team is a team that represented the Māori community of New Zealand in the 2001 Pacifica Cup cricket tournament. Whilst their rugby union and rugby league counterparts play often, this is the only appearance to date of the cricket team.

2001 Pacifica Cup

The New Zealand Māori team took part in the first Pacifica Cup. They topped their first round group, winning all three of their matches against the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. They then beat Tonga in the semi-finals before beating Fiji in the final to win the tournament.^[1] They did not compete in the 2002 tournament.^[2]

Players

The following players played for the New Zealand Māori in the 2001 Pacifica Cup:^[3][4]

• Robert Bird
• Ben J. Cochrane
• Leigh Kelly (captain) - previously played first-class cricket for Wellington^[5]
• David Little - previously played first-class and List A cricket for Wellington^[6]
• Peter McGlashan - has since played international Twenty20 cricket for New Zealand^[7]
• Jonathan McNamee - previously played for New Zealand Under-19s^[8]
• Thomas Nukunku
• Phillip T. Otto
• Jonathan Paine
• Jesse Ryder - has since played first-class and List A cricket for Central Districts and Wellington, Twenty20 cricket for Wellington, List A cricket as an overseas player for Ireland and is a middle order batsman in the Tests and opens the batting in One Day Internationals and Twenty20's for New Zealand ^[9]
• Tane Topia - played one List A match for Auckland^[10]
• Ash Turner - has since played first-class and List A cricket for Wellington^[11]
• Gene Waller

See also

• New Zealand Māori rugby union team
• New Zealand Māori rugby league team

References