Solomon Islands national cricket team

Cricket was introduced to the Solomon Islands by missionaries in the 1870s. Initially the game was played enthusiastically throughout the islands,[1] but by the 1960s, interest outside the capital Honiara waned.[2]

The national side first played in 1977, when they played Fiji in the capital city. The match was drawn.[1] By the 1980s, the game outside the capital city was non-existent,[2] though an attempt at a revival was made in the early 1990s. This revival led to the national side being sent to the cricket tournament at the 1991 South Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea.[1]

Interest again declined after this though[1] and equipment was in short supply. A match by the national team was played against an Australian club side in 1999, and they won by six wickets.[2] They have not played since.[1] A cricket association was formed in 2000 with the aim of setting up a national league and seeking membership of the International Cricket Council.[3] However the civil war caused many of the expatriate community to leave the country, and the game again went into decline.[1]