Saint Helena is a small, remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean with a population of only around 6,000 (the second lowest of any ICC member; only the Falkland Islands have fewer people). There is almost no flat land, with just a single sports field available. The picturesque Francis Plain Playing Field sits on top of a 300-foot rock face and is only available for cricket for six months a year; the footballers have use of it for the remaining six. Despite these obvious challenges, cricket is a popular participation sport on the island.

References to cricket on the island date back to 1844, although the earliest known records are from 1903 when the St Helena Cricket League was governing the local competitions, which were contested by local teams as well as various regiments of the British Army who were garrisoned on St Helena (the island, together with Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, is still a British overseas territory). The Saint Helena Cricket club was later formed in 1934 to administer all local cricket activity

Saint Helena became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 2001 (and an Associate Member since 2017) and while international opportunities have been few and far between to date, the national team have always competed well in African competitions when given the chance. A trip to Botswana in 2018 for the seven-team ICC World T20 Africa C (Southern) Qualifier, saw the islanders pick up three wins from six games to finish in an impressive third place.

Domestically, eight teams contest a 25-over league, a T20 tournament and a T20 knockout cup. There is also a tournament contested by the six of the island’s districts (Jamestown, Levelwood, Longwood, St Pauls, Sandy Bay and Half Tree Hollow).