Amateur cricket shows game can be force for good

This week, I am in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, which last week was accorded the unwanted title of the world’s most polluted city. It is an unlikely setting for an international six-a-side cricket tournament.

Yet, the competition is in its 33rd year. The last three years were lost to the coronavirus pandemic, so it was with some relief that many of the participants, who only meet each other at the event, have gathered together.

This is an amateur tournament, teams paying for the opportunity to take part. In previous years, retired former international players have played. They came mainly from Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, adding quality to the playing side and anecdotes to the perpetual conversations.

The team with which I have played for almost 20 years meet together only at this competition. The average age of players in most teams has risen, so it is always encouraging to welcome new teams.

There is a handful of Pakistanis who live and work in Chiang Mai. The pandemic years have been tough for their businesses. This year their numbers have been supplemented by a team who have travelled from Pakistan. Its members originate mainly from Islamabad.

According to my memory, there has been only one other team from Pakistan which has participated previously in the sixes. They told me of the difficulty of raising funds, obtaining visas, and the challenges of coordinating the process with flight bookings.

Hence, it was with a heightened level of interest that I approached the members of this new team, to find out what had motivated them to join the event, what their cricketing backgrounds were, and how the team had been formed. A fascinating story unfolded.

Firstly, they are guided by the principles