The NEPA Cricket Association’s yearly event may happen regularly, but this year’s gathering was unique.
After many years of searching for a permanent location, the organization, together with members of Forty Fort council and Mayor Brian Thomas, assembled at the borough’s Sports Complex off Wyoming Avenue to formally declare the softball field as the Cricket Club’s new official home field.
Members spent the day playing cricket and enjoying some homemade food under the pavilion. There was also a bounce house and other activities set up for the kids.
“We are incredibly proud and excited to be collaborating with the Forty Fort Borough, as they have been extremely supportive in accomplishing all of this,” said Navid Ahmad, a local physician and president of the Cricket Association.
Ahmad, a native of Pakistan who helped establish the club in 2010, mentioned that the organization has expanded significantly since its beginning. There are now about 300 community members with at least six teams in Luzerne County.
A large majority of those members work in healthcare and come from diverse cultural backgrounds originating from countries such as Pakistan, India, Australia, and the West Indies, among others.
“Sports is the one thing that — whatever is happening around the world — brings people together. That’s what we’re trying to do. It’s not just about guys playing, it’s about uniting the family,” Ahmad said.
For nearly 15 years, the NEPA Cricket Club has struggled to find a home field. According to previous Times Leader reporting, the association originally had its own field in Mountain Top, but was forced to leave due to issues with water retention. For the last few years, the club utilized the Kingston Rec Center to play.
However, since cricket has specific field requirements, not having a field of their own made it difficult for the association to attract other teams from around the area to come and play with them.
Now, with approval from the borough and at its own expense, the club has started making adjustments to the Forty Fort field, such as creating a pitching mound and removing some fencing, which will provide the club with the opportunity to grow and expand.
‘We want to educate [cricket] and engage with the community to demonstrate what more we can do,” Ahmad explained. “We aim to offer this to the schools and colleges in the area.”
Cricket is widely considered one of the most popular sports in the world with 2.5 billion fans, second only to soccer, and although it was once one of the most popular sports in America prior to the Civil War, it ended up struggled to find a foothold in the states, partly due to baseball’s dominance.
Recently, however, cricket has experienced a resurgence in the US. In June, the Cricket World Cup will be held partly in America for the very first time and in 2028, cricket will return to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles after more than a century.
Ahmad hopes that with the increased exposure, more local residents will want to learn about cricket.
"Hopefully, more people will be interested and want to know what’s happening. That's what we hope to achieve. We want to say, 'Hey, do you want us to teach you now? We have a regular field. Come here and we’ll teach you,'" he stated.
Ultimately, it's not just about playing cricket.
The association also provided a free health clinic on Sunday for its community members. Some of the members, who are healthcare professionals, offered routine medical testing.
Club member and pharmacist Tarannum Mansuri explained that the free health clinic idea came about because a young and seemingly healthy cricket association member recently had a heart attack.
Although that member is recovering, it was a scary time for the whole community and made them want to remind people about the importance of preventive health care.
The association also gathered food for the Victims Resource Center in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
"I've always wanted to do good. My kids are getting older, so I feel like I can dedicate more time to community involvement and giving back," Mansuri expressed.
Mayor Brian Thomas is excited about collaborating with the association on community outreach.
"We're eager to combine our resources. Personally, I believe it's important to bring new cultures together, and that's what we should be focusing on. That's what it's all about for me," Thomas said.
"This field is fantastic, and we're thrilled to have the club here in town."
