I was first exposed to the game of cricket in 1979 when I arrived in India as a young kid. There is no better country to get your first exposure to cricket than India. Passion runs high for cricket and its passion will consume you. Cricket was everywhere, on the playgrounds, under the banyan tree, in the class room and in our dormitory. We found a piece of wood and any type of a round object resembling a cricket ball and there was a game to be played.
When India was playing, and you were walking in the market, everyone's radio was blaring as commentary was given in both English and Hindi. Since I lived in India, I was naturally cheering for the Indian team who at the time had the legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar and the great all-rounder Kapil Dev. Cricket was still a radio/newspaper sport in India, unlike today very few games were broadcast on TV, specially those played overseas. It was a thrill to listen to radio commentary broadcasting on the All-Indian Radio. There was the Indian tour of Australia in 1980-1981 and of course one of my most unforgettable experience was listening to Tony Cozier when India toured the West Indies in 1983, me and my friend Faez would stay up late in the night and listen to the broadcast. And the unforgettable 1983 cricket World Cup and India's upset win over the West Indies in the finals. It was a great era for cricket with incredible players such as Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Lillie, Chappel, Haddlee and of course the whole of the West Indian team which at the time were the Masters of the Game, Lloyd, Richards, Holding and Marshall.
Coming to the US put a stop to that as cricket was replaced by the American sports of basketball, baseball and American football. I use to only think of cricket and listen to the BBC cricket commentary whenever possible. But years later as my life twist and turned I ended up going to areas that were cricket playing nations. The first one of which was in the Caribbean, where I spend a year on the island of St. Kitts and Nevis and Guyana.
One day as I sat in front of my house in Challengers, St.Kitts I saw a few guys down below by the basketball courts who were playing cricket. I ran down and asked if I could join them, they agreed and when I faced the first ball after all those years, to my great relief I did not lose my wicket and embarrass myself and in fact I drove the ball nicely pass the bowler, which made everyone realize that this American/foreigner/whatever knew cricket!!! Talk about breaking the ice...and on to Guyana, where they would come and get me if I missed a day of street cricket.
When I got to Afghanistan living in Shindand Airbase there were lots of workers from eastern Afghanistan and since most had at sometime in their lives lived in Pakistan, they had been exposed to cricket and played every evening. Coming from the United States and speaking Farsi and they being mainly Pashtu speakers there was a barrier, which unfortunately was based on their own assumption of who I was. So one evening seeing them playing cricket I approached them and asked if I could play, they asked, "you play cricket?" I said yes and asked again "really you play?" still not convinced!!! Reluctantly they let me join their game. So after a few overs the captain came to me and asked "do you bowl? I said I can try!!! and as fate (and luck and poor batting!!) would have it I took two wickets and from then on, I was invited for tea, lunch and became the recipient of the great Afghan hospitality...
Though most who don't know cricket call it slow, confusing, and overall a boring game! I feel lucky to belong to a large global population that plays and follows this wonderful game.
I don't know where I will end up next but be sure that I will try to hit the ball over the boundary line for a six!!!
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