# Malawi national cricket team

The Malawian national cricket team is the men's team that represents Malawi in international cricket.

## History

Malawi was previously a member of the East and Central Africa Cricket Conference, which was a member of the ICC from 1989 to 2003 and fielded the East and Central Africa cricket team in the ICC Trophy.
From the 1970s, Malawi played regular international tournaments against other East and Central African teams, and occasionally against touring teams from England.
In 2002 Malawi participated in the Africa Cup in which 10 nations took part. Malawi came last in the group, losing all 4 matches.
They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2003 and an associate member in 2017. Their international debut came the following year in the African affiliates championship, where they came fourth. They participated in the equivalent tournament in 2006, Division Three of the African region of the World Cricket League, once again coming fourth.
In October 2009 Malawi hosted the WCL Africa Div 3 tournament, beating all participants to win the tournament. They were promoted to WCL Africa Division 2 for the next tournament in Benoni, SA. They struggled at this level and finished last.

### 2018–present

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Malawi and other ICC members since 1 January 2019 have the full T20I status.
Malawi played their first T20I on 6 November 2019, against Mozambique, during the 2019 T20 Kwacha Cup.
* 6 November 2019 10:00 Scorecard
| Mozambique 169/5 (20 overs) | v | Malawi 170/7 (19.4 overs) |
| Damiao Couana 71* (36) Mahammed Patel 3/25 (4 overs) | | Mahammed Patel 40* (33) Zefanias Matsinhe 3/27 (4 overs) |
* Malawi won by 3 wickets Lilongwe Golf Club, Lilongwe Umpires: Acacio Chitsondzo (Moz) and Osman Mhango (Mwi)
* Malawi won the toss and elected to field.
* First ever T20I match for Malawi.

## Squad

This lists all the players who have played for Malawi in the past 12 months or has been part of the latest T20I squad. Updated as of 6 July 2024
| Name | Age | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
| Batters |||||
| Donnex Kansonkho | 26 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Gift Kansonkho | 26 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Chisomo Malaya | 20 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Beston Masauko | 20 | Right-handed | | |
| Francis Nkhoma | 26 | Right-handed | | |
| All-rounders |||||
| Sami Sohail | 23 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Aaftab Limdawala | 20 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break | Vice-captain |
| Moazzam Baig | 39 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Captain |
| Gershom Ntambalika | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicket-keepers |||||
| Phillip Zuze | 18 | Right-handed | | |
| Chisomo Chete | 30 | Right-handed | | |
| Spin Bowlers |||||
| Suhail Vayani | 16 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Mike Choamba | 20 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Pace Bowlers |||||
| Daniel Jakiel | 34 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| Blessings Pondani | 22 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | |
| Bright Balala | 17 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | |

## Records and statistics

International Match Summary — Malawi
Last updated 13 October 2024
Playing Record :
| Format | M | W | L | T | NR | Inaugural Match |
| Twenty20 Internationals | 46 | 26 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 6 November 2019 |

### Twenty20 International

* Highest team total: 185/2 v Lesotho on 25 November 2022 at Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, Kigali.
* Highest individual score: 94*, Sami Sohail v Lesotho on 25 November 2022 at Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, Kigali.
* Best individual bowling figures: 6/9, Moazzam Baig v Rwanda on 16 December 2023 at Willowmoore Park, Benoni.
| Player | Runs | Average | Career span |
| Sami Sohail | 1,347 | 56.12 | 2019–2024 |
| Donnex Kansonkho | 700 | 18.42 | 2021–2024 |
| Gift Kansonkho | 530 | 17.09 | 2019–2024 |
| Moazzam Baig | 428 | 20.38 | 2019–2024 |
| Aaftab Limdawala | 297 | 18.56 | 2022–2024 |
| Player | Wickets | Average | Career span |
| Moazzam Baig | 62 | 10.38 | 2019–2024 |
| Sami Sohail | 46 | 14.58 | 2019–2024 |
| Daniel Jakiel | 41 | 19.53 | 2022–2024 |
| Suhail Vayani | 27 | 16.14 | 2023–2024 |
| Aaftab Limdawala | 21 | 18.95 | 2022–2024 |
T20I record versus other nations
Records complete to T20I #2905. Last updated 13 October 2024.
| Opponent | M | W | L | T | NR | First match | First win |
| vs Associate Members ||||||||
| Botswana | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 November 2022 | 20 November 2022 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 September 2022 | 15 September 2022 |
| Eswatini | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 October 2021 | 17 October 2021 |
| Ghana | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 October 2021 | 22 September 2024 |
| Kenya | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 September 2022 | |
| Lesotho | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 October 2021 | 22 October 2021 |
| Mali | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 November 2022 | 21 November 2022 |
| Mozambique | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 November 2019 | 6 November 2019 |
| Rwanda | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 22 October 2021 | 22 October 2021 |
| Saint Helena | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 November 2022 | 24 November 2022 |
| Seychelles | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 October 2021 | 20 October 2021 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 September 2022 | |
| Uganda | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 October 2021 | |

### Other records

For a list of selected international matches played by Malawi, see Cricket Archive.

## Tournament history
### World Cricket League Africa Region

* 2006 (Division Three): 4th place
* 2008 (Division Three): 5th place
* 2009 (Division Three): 1st place
* 2010 (Division Two): 6th place