Cricket has been a global sport that finds its roots in England. The spread of the British Empire led to the introduction of the game in Asia. In 1866, British settlements in South Asia played matches against each other. These matches were called Interport matches.
A total of 93 interport matches were played from 1866 to 1987. This included two periods when interport matches were not held: between 1890 to 1894 due to the tragic killing of eleven Hong Kong cricketers, and between 1936 to 1947 due to the Pacific War. The teams that then played the Interport matches were Shanghai, Federated Malay States, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Malaya, Malaysia, Singapore, Straits Settlements. Hong Kong and Shanghai were the best teams statistically.
The Interport matches returned in February 2020 as T20 International matches. This was as a result of the Hong Kong side touring Malaysia. The five match series was dominated by the hosts, who won the series 5-0. The tournament’s further resumed in February 2024, with Hong Kong, China and Malaysia playing each other in three tournaments. These three tournaments will feature both the men’s and women’s side play in an One Day International series, T20 series and will also include an U19 tournament.
The Interport matches add to the development of cricket in those countries that are yet to make a mark at the bigger stages in cricket. Since these series are sanctioned by the Asia Cricket Council and by the International Cricket Council, the results of teams add to their ranking points. This in turn helps them and increases their chances of performing better in bigger tournaments against stronger associate member nations and test-playing nations.
