Morocco

Federation Royale Marocaine de Cricket
(Royal Moroccan Cricket Federation)

Latest

The story of Moroccan cricket: baksheesh, bombs, and the death of a dream

Morocco hasn’t been kicked out of the ICC because Moroccans don’t play cricket. Or because the North African Kingdom hasn’t got the facilities. Morocco has been...

1991

FIRST RECORD
OF CRICKET

1999

JOINED ICC
(EXPELLED 2019)

12

NUMBER OF CLUBS
AS AT SEP 2020

CRICKET IN MOROCCO

The story of Moroccan cricket is a tragedy in which cynicism, corruption and scandalous neglect have, at least for the time being, triumphed over energy, enthusiasm and considerable talent. It began with the vision of an Emirati businessman, Abdul Rahman Bukhatir who, in the short-lived heyday of offshore ODIs, established a purpose-built National Cricket Stadium in Tangier, where in 2002 South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka played a triangular tournament.

This gave a huge boost to the development of the game, and the national team played in several African regional tournaments between 2006 and 2012. A succession of coaches, Surinder and Mohinder Armanath (India), Gary Cosier (Australia) and Riaz Richards (South Africa), developed a strong group of Moroccan players, several of whom went on to become coaches themselves. Unusually for an emerging cricket country, the players were overwhelmingly Moroccan, with a relatively small dependence on expatriates.

Unfortunately, the national body fell into the hands of administrators with little interest in cricket and a great deal of interest in money. At the grassroots, development programmes at club level involved impressive numbers of boys, and some women and girls were also involved. But the clubs were unable to wrest control from an inactive, corrupt Board which refused to hold general meetings, and the ICC suspended and then, in 2019, expelled Morocco from membership.

Enthusiasm for the game remains strong in several centres, but with the only ground in the country, at Salé, near Rabat, under threat, it may require some external support if Moroccan cricket is to survive.

Men's

First men’s international match: vs. Rwanda, Benoni, 2005-06 (African Championship, Division 3)

Major international victories:
vs Rwanda, Benoni, 2005-06 (African Championship, Division 3)
vs Lesotho, Benoni, 2005-06 (African Championship, Division 3)

Leading men’s international players: Mohammed Ennaoui (2006 - ), Salah El Mouridi (2006 - ), Harmaoui Rachid (2006- ), Zakaria Zaki (2006- ), Lakhrissi Mountassir (2012- )

League formats: 10 over, 20 over, 40 over outdoor domestic leagues, and an indoor winter league

World Cricket League / World Cup history: N/A

Women's

N/A

Principal Grounds

National Cricket Stadium, Tangier (no longer used for cricket)

Cricket ground, Salé (future uncertain)

FRMC Links

N/A

Originally compiled by

Rod Lyall
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