Lengthy Island, New York— On a cool Sunday afternoon in Might, Anjum Sabar, captain of the PakAmerica Cricket Membership, watched his staff bat towards the Hawks Cricket Membership on a grass area in Eisenhower Park on Lengthy Island, New York.
The match, a part of the Commonwealth Cricket League (CCL) in New York, was being performed a stone’s throw from what’s now the Nassau County Worldwide Cricket Stadium, one of many venues for the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup in progress.
As staff put the ending touches on the purpose-built modular stadium, which can host South Asian cricket powerhouses India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, two groups comprising semi-professional cricketers of South Asian heritage performed the match close by.
Sabar, a 43-year-old businessman, immigrated to the USA from Pakistan in 1998 and commenced taking part in cricket for PakAmerica a yr later. Sadaf Sabar, his spouse of 14 years, is aware of to not ask him for assistance on the weekends as a result of each Sunday, Sabar heads to totally different parks in New York to play the sport she grew up taking part in in Pakistan.
“House” cricket matches had been at all times watched on tv at his household residence in Sialkot, a metropolis in northeastern Pakistan acknowledged because the nation’s essential sports activities tools manufacturing heart.
“I’ve by no means been to the stadium to look at a sport,” Sabar tells Al Jazeera as he watches his PakAmerica teammates.
“We watched the sport on tv and performed on the street, like all Pakistani youngsters do.”
Cricket followers: outdated and new
It is a comparable story for a lot of South Asian cricketers who now name New York residence and play to remain related to their roots.
For Sabar and his mates, cricket at residence meant amassing cash to purchase tennis balls for his or her tape-ball video games within the streets; operating forwards and backwards in chappals (slippers) whereas mates shouted “aik aur, aik aur” (yet another run) from the barrier and operating again residence earlier than the afternoon maghrib prayer.
Now, these neighborhood cricket matches come to life because the South Asian diaspora gathers in New York parks after every week of the rat race.
Again at Eisenhower Park, the PakAmerica vs Hawks CC sport had an surprising spectator.
Mike Niewender, a bewildered 56-year-old from the prosperous Lengthy Island village of New Hyde Park, watched from the car parking zone.
“I do not perceive the sport,” Niewender informed Al Jazeera whereas smoking a cigarette leaning towards his heavy bicycle.
“I am making an attempt to determine it out by myself earlier than I see one thing on social media or examine it,” he mentioned, searching towards the sector.
“I drive right here each Sunday and watch the sport. I got here throughout the sport final summer season and now I come right here each weekend to loosen up on Sunday.”
Preserving cricket alive in New York
Cricket has existed in New York for 44 years. The CCL was shaped in New York in 1979 and includes greater than 120 golf equipment, in accordance with Lengthy Island neighborhood chief Imran Pasha, who grew up taking part in cricket in Hyderabad, India.
He claims that “all types of cricket matches” are performed in New York. “From laborious ball to smooth ball, to tape to laborious tennis, all the pieces.”
Now, New York is residence to a lot higher-profile, higher-stakes video games.
Final yr, the USA gained internet hosting rights for 16 of the 53 matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup, together with arguably a very powerful one barring the ultimate: India vs Pakistan.
Lengthy Island’s modular stadium, which was constructed piece by piece over the previous few months, can seat roughly 40,000 spectators. It’s anticipated to succeed in capability on June 9.
In 2023, the ICC had chosen a website within the Bronx to find the stadium, however neighborhood members and native leaders raised environmental considerations and demanded a public assessment of an environmental examine earlier than approval of the stadium. Approval would have needed to undergo a public assessment course of that might have taken as much as six months, prompting the ICC to relocate to Lengthy Island, in accordance with Pasha.
“Lengthy Island has the house and surroundings to host one thing as massive and spectacular because the World Cup,” he tells Al Jazeera.
The 45-year-old performs for Lengthy Island Cricket Membership within the native league. He has been working with the native Nassau County subcommittee that liaises with the ICC on issues associated to holding the eight video games in New York.
A software program engineer by coaching, Pasha is worked up concerning the alternatives that World Cup matches might deliver to the native cricket neighborhood in addition to companies throughout Nassau County.
“We work laborious to maintain the golf equipment as skilled as potential by way of native sponsorships, educated referees, uniforms, tools and park permits,” he mentioned.
“[These things] “It takes money and time, however we come collectively and do the very best we are able to.”
Pasha is assured that the World Cup will “change the dynamic of how cricket is acquired in New York.”
“The stadium alone has introduced much-needed consideration to native golf equipment – consideration they’ve been ready and hoping to get for a while.”
Inspiring the following technology
Pasha, identified in the area people for his honesty and laborious work, hopes the event may have a ripple impact on the native cricket scene.
“It might result in [proper] search for alternatives for the US staff and set up interstate matches, much like how cricket is performed in different international locations,” he defined.
Others, like Neville Kunjravia, see the World Cup as a networking alternative. The 34-year-old has mastered the position of cricket umpire for years and hopes the ICC takes notice. His dream is to referee coveted matches, just like the World Cup.
He umpired the PakAmerica-Hawks CC match sporting a navy blue hat, much like that worn in cricket umpiring.
For Ali Zafar, proprietor of the one identified cricket tools retailer, Zar Sports activities, on Lengthy Island, it’s a feeling of delight and pleasure that cricket is lastly coming “residence” for him and different members of the southern diaspora. from Asia like him.
“The World Cup was at all times held some other place and I by no means had the chance to go see a match or be a part of the joy,” he mentioned.
The 38-year-old was unable to purchase tickets for the New York matches however hopes the presence of the world’s greatest cricketers will “entice the youthful technology to the sport”.
“All of us deliver our youngsters to our [local] video games, however that’s totally different than them wanting to affix as gamers.”
Pakistan captain Sabar additionally has excessive hopes for the event.
“I actually wish to see younger individuals have the identical ardour for the sport as we do,” he mentioned.
“I hope they hold the stadium right here for the native groups, so the youthful generations can take pleasure in cricket like we do.”