World's second most popular sport makes big PFW entrance

Almost everyone knows soccer is the world's most popular sport, but few Americans can guess which is No. 2.

A significant part of Purdue University Fort Wayne's population is excited cricket is now being played on campus. Since April, teams have gathered on a newly created cricket field to play the game they love.

According to Tad Smith, director of grounds operation, the circular field covers almost three acres across the Ron Venderly Family Bridge and southeast of the Steel Dynamics Keith E. Busse Mastodon Alumni Center. Surrounded by trees and bushes, the field is hidden from nearby roads, but almost every Sunday evening there's play until the sun goes down.

"As we continue to have a larger international population every semester, it just creates more of a sense of belonging," said Nick Brand, Well-being and Recreation coordinator, who also supervises intramural competition. "We're here to create something new for all of our students and give international students an opportunity to connect with domestic students and introduce something new to them. Everyone loves sports and athletics, and they are a good way to bring people together."

Cricket consists of a bat and ball and two sides of 11 players. Centered around a 22-yard pitch bordered by two wickets, a batter at one end tries to hit balls thrown from a bowler on the other and then runs between the wickets with a partner to score runs before the ball is retrieved and returned to the pitch.

Imagine a baseball game where something happens on every pitch. Batting is about protecting the wicket by blocking or hitting the ball into play. Bowling is about collecting outs by hitting the wickets behind the batter or a fielder catching a fly ball. (USAcricket.org has some excellent videos to explain the rules.) There are three forms of cricket, one of which can last for days and is popular among countries formerly part of the British Empire.

The sport is becoming increasingly popular in this country, especially with the success of the USA in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

The idea of the PFW field started five or six years ago when Ahmed Mustafa, a professor of biology who grew up playing in Bangladesh, brought the idea to administrators. Players had been playing on a field in western Allen County before the property was sold. Mustafa organized a group of Fort Wayne physicians with international origins to donate more than 50% of the costs.

"Out of 1.5 million international students who come to America each year, one-third come from the subcontinent of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh," Mustafa said. "They are looking for their sports. The local immigrants want to do something for themselves and their kids during the summer. They didn't have any place to play."

Participants had been using an area near Parking Garage 3. Now that the new field has opened, Fort Wayne Cricket Club uses it to play against upper Midwest clubs, Brand is planning a September tournament, and Mustafa hopes to hold an official opening in the fall.

Mustafa has sponsored a student organization, PFW Cricket Club, and Fort Wayne Cricket Club has recruited PFW students, including Harsha Vardhan Khurdula, M.S. '24, graduate student Ganesh Karnati, and Anbilparithi Pagutharivu, M.S. '24, an avid cricket fan and player since age 12. He says the field is one of the best he's played on.

"Cricket is a larger-than-life sport in India," Pagutharivu said. "It's something that brings every Indian together. Whether watching the sport on TV or getting on the ground and playing it, everyone is always involved.

"I believe cricket is growing (in this country), and its fanbase is increasing year-on-year. I see this sport becoming a fan favorite not just to those who know how to play, but also to those who want to learn."

Most players bring their equipment, but Brand has started purchasing some, and Pagutharivu said Fort Wayne Cricket Club is considering a donation.

The World Cup of cricket is being held until June 29 in Miami, Dallas, Nassau County, N.Y., and the West Indies. The final will be played in Barbados.

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