By Khabar Rojana 
New Zealand great Ross Taylor has come out of retirement to play for Samoa in the upcoming Asia-East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier in Oman. Let us know more about Samoa and their record in T20 Internationals along with the list of players featuring for them.
Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor is set to return to international cricket at the age of 41. He will represent Samoa in the upcoming Asia-East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2026 qualifier in Oman, which could help them qualify for the main event next year in India and Sri Lanka. Ever since the cricketer revealed the news on his Instagram handle, the interest around Samoa cricket team has increased manifold. Let us know more about Samoa:
Samoa is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is located 64 km west of American Samoa, 889 km northeast of Tonga, and 483 km east of Wallis and Futuna. Samoa is a unitary parliamentary democracy and has 11 administrative divisions. The country is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and made its debut at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA, in 1984.
When did Samoa start playing T20I cricket?
Samoa started playing T20I cricket in 2019, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) made a historic move by granting T20I status to all of its 104 member nations. The decision was taken in April 2018 and was effective in men’s cricket from January 1, 2019.
Samoa cricket team’s record in T20Is
Samoa’s men’s cricket team has played a total of 25 T20Is so far against seven oppositions. They have registered the most wins against Vanuatu, while they are yet to beat four teams – Hong Kong, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore – after playing two matches each against them.
Samoa’s men’s cricket team’s record in T20Is
| Matches Played | Matches won | Matches lost | No Result |
| 25 | 6 | 19 | – |
Interestingly, Samoa’s women’s cricket team has played more matches than their men’s team. They have played a total of 42 matches in the shortest format against seven opponents. Their best record is against Fiji, beating them seven times in 10 matches.
Samoa’s women’s cricket team’s record in T20Is
| Matches Played | Matches won | Matches lost | No Result |
| 42 | 20 | 20 | 2 |
Moreover, Samoa’s U19 Women’s team played in the T20 World Cup earlier this year as well and faced top teams like South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan in the group stage. Even though they couldn’t register a single win in the tournament, the experience to play against top teams would’ve been massive for the young girls in the country.
Samoa list of players
Samoa will next play in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier from October 8 to 17. A total of three teams will qualify for the main event next year that will be played in India and Sri Lanka. Ross Tayor’s presence is certainly going to help the team and the veteran cricketer will be keen on giving his best for the team.
For the unversed, Taylor has a Samoan passport through his mother’s heritage and became eligible to play for them after a three-year cooling-off period. He last played for New Zealand in April 2022 and was eligible to represent Samoa since April this year.
List of players: Caleb Jasmat (c), Ross Taylor, Darius Visser, Sean Solia, Daniel Burgess, Douglas Finau, Sam French, Kurtis Hynam-Nyberg, Ben Mailata, Noah Mead, Solomon Nash, Samson Sola, Fereti Sululoto, Saumani Tiai, Ili Tugaga.
Raveena Kumari