Cricket fans who want a broader global cricket experience beyond just Test and ODI cricket will find Fairplay Pro covers Associate tournaments in its live match section. The Fairplay Pro login page is clean and fast — getting you inside the platform without delay, wherever in the world you're watching cricket from.Most cricket fans can name the twelve full ICC members. But cricket is played in over 100 countries worldwide. From the deserts of Oman to the mountains of Nepal, from the streets of Germany to the islands of Vanuatu, cricket's footprint is far wider than most people realise. This article celebrates the Associate and Affiliate nations — the countries you probably didn't know play cricket.

What Is an Associate Member?

The ICC divides its membership into:

• Full Members (12 nations): The Test-playing countries with full ICC voting rights

• Associate Members (96 nations): Countries where cricket is firmly established but not yet at the highest level

• Affiliate Members: Nations where cricket is emerging at a grassroots stage

Associate members compete in ICC-sanctioned tournaments and can qualify for ICC World Cup events — both ODI and T20. Several Associate nations have made remarkable impacts at global tournaments.

The Nations That Surprise People

Nepal

Nepal has one of cricket's most passionate fanbases relative to its ICC status. Playing in the foothills of the Himalayas, Nepal's cricket culture is intense and deeply popular. The national team has featured globally at ICC tournaments, and players like Sandeep Lamichhane have competed in IPL, Big Bash, and CPL — bringing global attention to Nepalese cricket.

The Lords Exchange ID system makes it easy to set up an account and start tracking cricket from Nepal to Namibia.

Nepal has qualified for multiple ICC T20 World Cups and won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier — Asia on multiple occasions.

Oman

Oman's cricket development is one of the Associate success stories of the 2010s. The country hosted ICC T20 World Cup 2021 matches at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground — a world-class facility carved out of a rock-strewn landscape. Oman's national team has qualified for multiple global tournaments and is consistently competitive in Asia qualifying events.

Netherlands

The Netherlands (Holland) has a long cricket history, surprising given its football-dominated culture. Dutch cricket has produced international-quality players — including Ryan ten Doeschate, who played county cricket in England and was ranked among the world's best associate cricketers. The Netherlands have appeared in ICC Cricket World Cups and regularly compete in European and global qualifying tournaments.

Papua New Guinea (PNG)

PNG is one of cricket's great success stories from the Pacific region. Cricket is the national sport, and the national team has qualified for ICC T20 World Cups. Papua New Guinea's passionate cricket culture, built around community games in remote villages and modern facilities in Port Moresby, represents cricket's extraordinary geographic reach.

Scotland

Scotland's cricket programme is well-established, with a domestic league and a national academy. The Scottish national team has produced players who've gone on to first-class county cricket careers. Scotland famously beat England in a 2018 ODI — a result that generated enormous national pride and global headlines.

UAE (United Arab Emirates)

The UAE's cricket team draws on a huge South Asian expatriate population. Playing their home games in Dubai and Abu Dhabi — venues also used for international cricket by Pakistan — the UAE national team competes regularly in ICC Asia qualifying tournaments.

ICC World Cup Qualification: The Path for Associates

Associate nations qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup through regional qualifying tournaments. The top Associate nations from each region — Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas, East Asia-Pacific — earn spots in the global qualifying event, with the top performers reaching the T20 World Cup itself.

Cricket fans who want a broader global cricket experience beyond just Test and ODI cricket will find Fairplay Pro covers Associate tournaments in its live match section

The ODI World Cup pathway is more challenging, with only a small number of Associate spots available in the main tournament. However, the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier gives the best Associate nations a genuine route to the biggest stage.

Why Associate Cricket Matters

Associate cricket matters for the sport's long-term health. Cricket's commercial dominance by India creates an imbalance that can only be corrected by growing the game globally. Every time Nepal qualifies for a T20 World Cup, every time the Netherlands beats a Full Member, cricket's footprint expands.

The ICC's development programmes are genuinely beginning to bear fruit — and platforms that cover Associate cricket deserve credit for building global fan engagement around these stories.

Lords Exchange covers major Associate cricket tournaments in its markets, giving fans the ability to follow their favourite emerging nations. The Lords Exchange ID system makes it easy to set up an account and start tracking cricket from Nepal to Namibia. Using the Lords Exchange login guide available on the site, even first-time users can navigate the platform in minutes.