FEATURE STORIES

More than just a sport

It's like any other evening in a small sports hall. Someone has rushed from work, there is laughter and sweat, another person is eating a baguette before the game starts. And then comes 27-year-old Vamsi Krishna, who moved from India to study with his parents' life savings. This evening, cricket proves to mean so much more than just a sport.

Cricket is, in many ways, a tribute to endurance, strategy, and the English art of making a sport out of almost anything. And for those wondering, no, we're not talking about croquet.

At first glance, cricket may seem like a mix of baseball and a British tea party, as matches can go on for so long that players need to take tea breaks to keep going. In true British fashion, it is also regarded as the number one gentleman's sport.

Hameed Zazai from Afghanistan and Ali Reza from Pakistan take a break from cricket practice to catch their breath on a bench in the sports hall.

Hameed Zazai from Afghanistan and Ali Reza from Pakistan take a break from cricket practice to catch their breath. The new cricket club allows them to hone their skills as cricketers in Skellefteå.

The game spread mainly in countries that were formerly part of the British Commonwealth, such as England, Australia, India, and South Africa, but Pakistan is also a prominent nation.

Cricket is played between two teams of eleven players. The teams take turns being the batting and fielding team, each batting/fielding round is called an inning, and the team that scores the most runs wins.

So why are we standing outside the sports hall on the campus area on a Saturday evening at 8:00 PM when it's minus 18 degrees?

This evening isn't about batsman versus bowler in a match that can last up to five days.

"This is quality time," Vamsi Krishna notes, pulling the light blue cap over his head.

Basit Khan in full gear.

Basit Khan grew up with cricket back home in Pakistan. Now he gets to play the sport in Skellefteå along with many new good friends.

In fact, a cricket club has been formed in Skellefteå, and there is no problem gathering players, announces chairman Basit Khan.

"Skellefteå is constantly growing, and with that, people come here who have played cricket in their home countries and want to continue with this wonderful sport. Just tonight, we have players from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka on the field," says Basit.

It's not an oval field like the sport is usually played on, but as practice on a December evening in Skellefteå, it works just fine.

In the club's Facebook group, Basit has gathered over 100 players who engage with the training posts.

"Sometimes more than 50 people show up, what do you do then? We usually divide into different teams, it just becomes a bit less cricket but much more chatting on the sidelines, and that means just as much," he explains.

The reason for the uneven number of participants is that the players work shifts, most of them as engineers at Northvolt. There are also students, but they too work at the large battery manufacturer. Basit himself works at Max as an assistant restaurant manager and is living in Skellefteå for the second time in his life.

Hamza from Pakistan tapes the bat so that it feels right in his hands.

Cricket is very much a sport of equipment, and it's important to prepare before training and matches to ensure everything works well. Like the taping on the bat. Hamza from Pakistan knows exactly how he wants the tape to be applied so that it feels right in his hands.

"I managed to move to Pakistan for a while, but I was lured back to work at Max again, and since I missed Skellefteå, the choice was easy. What I missed from Pakistan was cricket, and that's why I started a Facebook group, and it turned out there were many others who felt the same way. Lots of people showed up! The goal is to introduce cricket to the people of Skellefteå – we want everyone to feel welcome," says Basit.

That's why he has now learned how the Swedish association system works.

From managing association support to understanding facility schedules and the process of sending booking requests and navigating the venue rental system.

"This summer, the plan is to play in Division I under the Swedish Cricket Federation, we will easily manage in the first division."

"Here, the attitude is that people are satisfied with what they already have."

North of Stockholm, Skellefteå Cricket Lovers face a long-distance "derby" against Märsta and Umeå.

Kamran Ali is married to a woman from Skellefteå and has lived here since 2017.

"When I saw that a team was starting up in Skellefteå, I just thought 'yessss!' I’ve found friends for life through the sport. There’s something to the claim that cricket is a gentleman's sport," says Kamran.

When the clock strikes 8:00 PM, people start pouring in, and soon there are a few swinging their bats in the air.

The old English expression "not cricket" is a phrase that is rarely heard these days. It is used to describe something unfair or dishonest, so when someone says "it's not cricket," they mean that it is not fairly played—it goes against the honorable principles often associated with cricket.

Inside the sports hall, no one is shouting "it's not cricket" tonight.

It’s loud, it’s intense, and it’s taken seriously, but always close to a laugh.

"Run, run, run," echoes through the hall.

Muhammad Kamran Ghafoor from Pakistan flies through the wicket, which consists of three stumps.

The action sport cricket! Muhammad Kamran Ghafoor from Pakistan flies through the wicket, which consists of three stumps.

Now it's Vamsi Krishna's turn to bowl. He is a fast bowler, and the stumps fly when he scores points for the team.

Vamsi has been playing since childhood back home in southern India, where he was born and grew up with his parents and a brother. His family runs a farm with goats, sugarcane, and rice cultivation. It feels especially good for Vamsi to play cricket this evening to clear his mind. A powerful tsunami has hit the coastal city of Chennai and the rural area where he grew up.

"There are severe floods, everyone in the family is okay, but the healthcare system isn't working, and now people are starving. I try to keep in touch with those back home via social media," he says, taking a seat on the bench.

Vamsi Krishna smiles.

Vamsi Krishna has received encouraging news from home in India this evening. The family is doing well despite the severe tsunami that hit their hometown.

Translate to English: Vamsi's brother excelled in sports, while Vamsi himself quickly demonstrated a knack for academics. Consequently, the family invested in his education, and Vamsi knew early on that he wanted to move to Europe.

"The lifestyle in India is unsustainable; everyone is a workaholic and there's no balance between work and leisure. The competition is also fierce, with everyone judged based on their success, and it wasn’t an environment I wanted to pursue," he says.

The family truly invested in Vamsi's studies, and he carefully chose to apply to the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm to study energy engineering.

"Studying and living in Stockholm cost 16 years' worth of my father's salary. It was a risk to send me here, and I wanted to feel ready for the task before making the decision, but they are really proud of me," he explains.

After his studies, the opportunity of an engineering job at Northvolt attracted him, so he moved 770 kilometers north. It was, of course, a huge contrast from his life in rural India.

"Exploring and contributing to the field of renewable energy feels absolutely right. Here, I have balance in life. I would earn roughly the same money back home in India, but now I have less responsibility for the same kind of job. People here are satisfied with what they already have. I feel physically and mentally well; it’s worth a lot," says Vamsi.

To explore Norrland, he embarked on what might be the most challenging adventure imaginable—a hike straight into Abisko’s wild national park.

"It gave me so much; I grew as a person! The social aspect of moving and living here has been very beneficial on a personal level. I am really happy here—and I get to play cricket," says Vamsi.

Text: Daniel Bergeman

Photo: Patrick Degerman