CDS (I) 2023 General Knowledge · Question 36 of 120

Correct — D, Zimbabwe. The Chevrons is the nickname of Zimbabwe's men's cricket team — the encyclopaedic description reads that Zimbabwe, 'also known as the Chevrons, represents Zimbabwe in men's international cricket.' The side is run by Zimbabwe Cricket and was granted Test status by the International Cricket Council in July 1992, which made it the ninth Test-playing nation. The name comes from the chevron device long associated with the country and carried on the team's colours. Nicknames are the easiest kind of sports question to guess wrongly and the easiest to fix once learned, because each belongs to exactly one side. The Netherlands are the Flying Dutchmen. Ireland became a Full Member of the International Cricket Council on 22 June 2017, alongside Afghanistan, which made it the eleventh Test nation, and it is not the Chevrons. Australia, the oldest Test side, is not either.

• (a)Australia — The oldest Test-playing side, from the first Test match of all in 1877, and never called the Chevrons. The Australian side's own emblem and colours have nothing to do with the chevron device.
• (b)The Netherlands — The Dutch side is nicknamed the Flying Dutchmen. It is an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council and has held one-day international status since 1966.
• (c)Ireland — Ireland was granted Full Member status on 22 June 2017 with Afghanistan, becoming the eleventh Test nation. The Chevrons is not its name.

The International Cricket Council divides its members into Full Members, who play Test cricket, and Associate Members, who do not. Zimbabwe joined the Full Members in July 1992, the ninth side to do so, and remains one of the smaller cricketing nations by playing strength. Team nicknames are informal but stable, and the general-knowledge sections of defence examinations use them regularly.

There is no way to reason a nickname out from first principles, so the useful thing is to file each one against something the country is known for, which makes it stick. The chevron is a device long associated with Zimbabwe and gives the team its name. Two nearby facts are worth holding for the same reason: the Netherlands are the Flying Dutchmen, after the old sailing legend, and Ireland is one of the two newest Test nations, admitted with Afghanistan in June 2017. Anchor to the exam year as well — at the CDS (I) 2023 examination there were twelve Full Members of the International Cricket Council, and questions of this kind are written from whatever the position was at the time.

• The Chevrons is the nickname of the Zimbabwe men's national cricket team, run by Zimbabwe Cricket.
• Zimbabwe was granted Test status by the International Cricket Council in July 1992.
• The Netherlands are nicknamed the Flying Dutchmen and hold one-day international status granted in 1966.
• Ireland and Afghanistan were made Full Members of the International Cricket Council on 22 June 2017, becoming the eleventh and twelfth Test nations.
• Australia contested the first Test match, played in 1877.

• Guessing an English-speaking country at random; nicknames are specific and there is no pattern to infer.
• Assuming a nickname must describe the flag or the kit colour, which is often but not always the case.
• Confusing Test status with Full Membership dates for the newer sides.

As a nickname-to-country item, or as a which-country-received-Test-status item on the newer members.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Flying Dutchmen is the nickname of the national cricket team of which one of the following countries?

  • (a)Denmark
  • (b)The Netherlands
  • (c)South Africa
  • (d)Belgium

  Answer(b) The Netherlands — an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council with one-day international status since 1966.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Ireland and Afghanistan were granted Full Membership of the International Cricket Council in which one of the following years?

  • (a)2011
  • (b)2014
  • (c)2017
  • (d)2019

  Answer(c) 2017 — on 22 June 2017 the two were admitted together, becoming the eleventh and twelfth Test-playing nations.