By Julia Parmley
At GW, students from Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Jamaica, Pakistan and India share a common bond: the 400-year-old British sport cricket.
“We get together to watch cricket matches and stay up all night cheering for different countries,” says sophomore Mustafa Karim, a member of GW Cricket. “Unbelievably close relationships have come out of this team, no matter where you come from or what you’ve experienced.”
The team’s humble beginnings were on the uneven bricks in University Yard in spring 2007. Seniors Alexander Sternberg and Ankit Sheth began setting up matches on the lawn, attracting quite an audience and eventually prompting an article in GW’s student newspaper GW Hatchet. “After that article came out I started getting e-mails from students asking about tryouts and practice times,” says Mr. Sheth, co-president of GW Cricket, now a student organization. “We started playing pickup games with a few people on the lawn, but now if we walk down the street with a cricket bat, we’ll have people following us to play.”
The approximately 18-member team practices two days a week during the semester at the batting cages at the Charles E. Smith Center and on fields on the National Mall. It hosts three games a semester at GW’s Mount Vernon Campus. The team currently has American University as its only local opponent it plays regularly, but recently traveled Philadelphia to play the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Sheth says the team is toying with the idea of traveling to Florida in March for the 2010 American Cricket College Championships.
The game involves bats, balls, 11 players on each side and a lot of running back and forth. The rules, or “Laws of Cricket,” can get complicated, but there is no place for dispute. Karim describes cricket as a “gentleman’s game.” “There are no arguments, and it requires discipline,” he says. “That can be difficult for some young players who are particularly passionate about the game.”
For senior Curt Sonnet, cricket was a way for him to get out of his “comfort zone.” “I played other sports in high school but wanted to try something new,” he said. “Cricket is a growing sport in the United States but still not in the consciousness of the average American.”
Although an official student organization since fall 2007, GW Cricket independently funds most of their travel, equipment and uniforms. “We do everything we can to promote the team, however we still face a lot of obstacles,” says Mr. Sheth. “But at the end of the day, we have a love for the game.”
And cricket is more than just a game to team members: It’s become an integral part of their lives. During a semester-long study abroad trip in Cairo in 2009, Mr. Sheth played a cricket match in the middle of a desert, while Mr. Sonnet visited the Lord’s Cricket Ground, commonly known as the “home of cricket,” during his study abroad in London.
For Mr. Sheth, cricket was a bonding activity for him and his cousins in India. “I go to India every couple of years and play with my cousins and at our family picnics,” he said.
Mr. Karim first played cricket during high school in his home country Pakistan and joined the team as a freshman. “When I play, it reminds me of being home so it’s a good feeling,” says Mr. Karim. “My teammates helped me feel welcome, and I became part of a community. If not for this club, I’d feel homesick.”
“I believe being a part of such a diverse team has increased the cultural awareness of all our teammates--that’s what you want from your college experience,” he says. “This team has been so rewarding in so many ways.”