ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Despite cricket's popularity with a global fanbase of over 2 billion people, the sport in New York state is now slowly gaining recognition. One cricket team is hoping to become the pioneers for sharing the passion for the sport, but also the culture of cricket.
From the sound of the crack of a bat and the cheers from their teammates, is something these men have long been missing.
“People who actually come from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or India, they we want them to join the club and feel a home away from home,†founding member Saad Raufkhan said.
“In the last decade or so, the number of teams and clubs in this area have gone up significantly,†founding member Saad Jamshed said. “Believe it or not, the first game in Rochester was played, the first documented game, is 1859 between the U.S. and Canada.â€
Yet despite its global popularity, there are only a handful of teams across New York state.
“We were unique in a way that quite a few of our players, they went to school here,†Jamshed  said. “They were born overseas, but they moved to high school and middle schools here. But they ended up picking up cricket as their sport. So, we had a few players playing with us that grew up here. So we have coached some of the players that they’ve grown and like the sport, some new hope to continue to get newer players or younger players involved.â€
Having the team, Rochester Greens Cricket Club, be represented here in Rochester.
“Rochester is different,†founding member Owais Majoka said. “Because America, you know, [is] big on football, big on hockey, big on basketball. But here, organizing a league and continuing it, that’s a huge achievement.â€
The sport has created more than just a team, but a family for many who originate from the Indian subcontinent.
“I was born and raised in Pakistan,†Majoka said. “Over there, it’s like every street. Everybody knows what cricket is. We look forward to every weekend because we’re going to meet our friends. We’re going to play with them and have a good time.â€
“We are playing cricket away from the headquarters of cricket,†Raufkhan said. “We have to do a lot more effort to make this revival and make this thing alive.â€
Its players are still looking for a field to call their own.
“Here we have to make our own grounds to make our own, like, you know, roads to make sure that everybody is enjoying the game that they are starring for it or crave for it,†Raufkhan said. “In the Indian subcontinent, everybody can play cricket whenever they see a ground. I’m proud to say that we have six teams in Rochester. And even though it feels like, you know, dormant, but it’s still it’s growing. I’m asking that if we can get a facility from the higher-ups, like a town or like a city or state, that they can provide us a cricket ground, they’ll be helpful because only one there is only one cricket ground in Rochester, Genesee Valley Park.â€
They are finding victories both in the sport and just having this team here.
“When I was a kid, I always waited for my weekends to come up, and it's a passion that has been invested from all of us since childhood,†Raufkhan said.  “I am very proud to be part of the Rochester Greens Cricket Club. And our goal is to give the torch to the next and forward the legacy to the next person.â€
