LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – It is more than just a bat and a ball for the members of the Lake Charles Cricket Club – playing cricket reminds them of home.
It may not be a familiar sport to many of those born in the U.S., but cricket is a beloved game across much of the world, much like football, basketball and baseball for Americans. The bat-and-ball sport began in England but also has deep roots in South Asia and Australia.
“We’ve been playing cricket for all of our lives,” Team Captain Ahmed Nawaz said. “We’re born with that attraction to play cricket because that is the most popular sport in India and Pakistan.”
Khaja Moinuddin founded the club to give fellow cricket enthusiasts a place to play.
Moinuddin said he “craved” to play cricket once he moved to the United States, and that hunger to bring the sport to Lake Charles has led to the formation of one of the hottest teams in Louisiana.
The club has been to six straight Louisiana Cricket Association championships and has won three of them. The club is undefeated this season and looking for another victory.
With the help of Calcasieu Parish Ward 3 Recreation and the City of Lake Charles, this new local sports dynasty has found a home at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex off Lake Street.
Before then, cricket players in the Lake Area had to travel out of state to play.
“When I moved here, it looked like a farfetched goal to even play cricket here,” Louisiana Cricket Association President Waqar Awan said. “Initially we had to go to Houston and Beaumont and participate over there.”
The club’s goal is still far from over, as they hope their recent success grows the sport not just in the region but the entire state.
“With all the amenities we have here like casinos and other attractions, I think we can grow the game a lot in our city,” Awan said.
Club members encourage Southwest Louisianians to come out and get involved with the sport, as they say the game is for everyone. Cricket is considered the second most played and watched sport in the world, only after soccer.
“We would like to invite everybody to come and at least watch and try it out. We’ve had a few players that came with a baseball background, and they tried it out and it turned out really good,” Moinuddin said.
The club plays its matches on Sundays at the cricket grounds at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex.
More information about the matches and the club itself can be found here.
For standings and scores, the Louisiana Cricket Association’s website can be found here.
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