Cricket in Tanzania has a long, varied, and illustrious history. The first recorded fixture took place on the island on Zanzibar in the late 1800s. Since then the sport has flourished among British settlers, and migrants from Indian and Pakistan alike. Inter-territorial matches between Kenya, Uganda, and what was then called Tanganyika began in 1913, and various Indian, Pakistani, and MCC sides toured regularly. Thirteen sports clubs, comprised largely of migrants from various parts of the subcontinent, came together to form the Dar Es Salaam Cricket Association in 1933, and the game has been played competitively since then.

In the aftermath of the Arusha Declaration of 1967, banks and other businesses were nationalised. As a result, many British and Indian migrants left the country and the standard of cricket in the country experienced a sharp decline in the early 1970s. Since then the Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) has focused its energies on grassroots development programs. Today there are schools programmes across the country, national youth tournaments, and ensuring competitive opportunities for talented youngsters via the TCA DSM Development League. The Advanced Players League (APL) is a recent innovation, bringing together the nation’s best players in a T20 franchise league.

Tanzania was represented in international cricket under the banner of East Africa (1966 – 1989) and subsequently East and Central Africa (1989 – 2003). East Africa appeared in the inaugural 1975 Cricket World Cup, and in every ICC Trophy subsequently. Tanzania became an independent ICC Associate member in 2001 and has been a consistent participant in the World Cricket League (WCL), albeit never above Division 3. Tanzania also has a flourishing women’s cricket programme, boasting wins against Uganda and Kenya at various times. The team participated in the ASEAN Women’s T20 Open Tournament in 2018, a demonstration of just how seriously the TCA takes women’s cricket.