While Saturday’s rain put a small damper on attendance the NEPA Cricket Club carries 100 players throughout the year. Many still attended the community event held at the Kingston Rec Center.
                                 Marcella Kester | For Times Leader

While Saturday’s rain put a small damper on attendance the NEPA Cricket Club carries 100 players throughout the year. Many still attended the community event held at the Kingston Rec Center.

Marcella Kester | For Times Leader

‘This game is kind of spreading and flourishing,’ club co-founder says

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<p>Batsman Ahmad Hanif, Wilkes-Barre, takes a swing at an incoming ball during a game of cricket with the NEPA Cricket Club.</p>
                                 <p>Marcella Kester | For Times Leader</p>

Batsman Ahmad Hanif, Wilkes-Barre, takes a swing at an incoming ball during a game of cricket with the NEPA Cricket Club.

Marcella Kester | For Times Leader

<p>While the sport of cricket may have taken center stage during Saturday’s community event, another focus of the club is uniting families and communities. Children’s activities and a range of foods were also available throughout the day.</p>
                                 <p>Marcella Kester | For Times Leader</p>

While the sport of cricket may have taken center stage during Saturday’s community event, another focus of the club is uniting families and communities. Children’s activities and a range of foods were also available throughout the day.

Marcella Kester | For Times Leader

There’s no denying the sport of cricket has grown in popularity within the United States in recent years, and one local group is looking to cement it in the Wyoming Valley.

The NEPA Cricket Club held its annual community event at the Kingston Recreation Center Saturday, with rain-filled clouds holding out long enough to enjoy a day of sport, family, food and fun.

Watching a game unfold from the sidelines, club co-founder Dr. Navid Ahmad spoke of how the sport has grown in popularity both national and locally in the last year.

In fact, the United States bid to host the 2024 Cricket World Cup.

“That’s how this game is kind of spreading and flourishing, and we hope that people see this on ESPN and start seeing what’s going on that they’ll become more interested,” Ahmad added.

Cricket is commonly recognized as the second-most popular spot in the world, with only soccer beating it in popularity. However the sport failed to take off in the United States like it did in in Europe, South Asia and more — likely due to the national interest in football and baseball instead.

Ahmad said he saw a 25% growth in the NEPA Cricket Club since 2021, adding that the group now has 250 members in all with roughly 100 players, and continues to draw attention to those who move here from international lands.

There are also cricket teams in Scranton, Allentown, Easton and Philadelphia as well as New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.

“We want this to keep growing like it has been,” Ahmad said. “We hope that we get new people and they get to meet the families and get to know about the community.”

Now that the sport of cricket has become more known in the Wyoming Valley, the club hopes it can find a permanent home while aid in the sport’s integration at local colleges and universities.

The NEPA Cricket Club originally formed in the Mountain Top area in 2010, where it had obtained its own field. However problems with water retention forced the group to abandon its field and relocate to the Kingston Rec Center for the summer and fall seasons, as well as the sports dome for the winter.

Now, they are hoping to secure land for a permanent and proper cricket field in the Kingston or Wilkes-Barre area where they could host games and more.

“We have been very thankful to the Kingston Rec Center, they have been kind enough to give us a field,” club co-founder Mohammad Arain explained. “Now our future goal is — since we have seen the growth here — we have been requesting to give us a formal field for the NEPA Cricket Club.”

While a baseball field is covered in dirt and carries three bases, a cricket field is typically oval-shaped with a grass outfield. The center of the field — also called a pitch — is comprised on a concrete pad where the batsmen hit the ball with a wooden paddle. The pad allows the ball to properly bounce and move along the ground.

The addition of a proper field would also allow the group to host other teams for proper games and tournaments.

“That’s the whole idea, right? For people to come, join, learn if they are willing to,” Ahmad said. “We are willing to go the extra mile and go teach people and involve people if needed.”

But, he added, the group is also much more than a sport.

“It’s not just about cricket. Sports are like the uniting factor for everybody. This is one thing that drives people and brings everybody together.”

Learn more about the NEPA Cricket Club on Instagram and Tik Tok at nepa_cricket_club.