LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – It’s more than just bat and ball for members of the Lake Charles Cricket Club: playing cricket reminds them of home.

It may not be a familiar sport to many of those born in the United States, but cricket is a game enjoyed throughout much of the world, as are soccer, basketball, and baseball for the Americans. The sport of bat and ball began in England but also has deep roots in South Asia and Australia.

“We have been playing cricket all our lives,” said team captain Ahmed Nawaz. “We were born with this attraction to playing cricket because it is the most popular sport in India and Pakistan.”

Khaja Moinuddin founded the club to give fellow cricket enthusiasts a place to play.

Moinuddin said he “craved” to play cricket once he moved to the United States, and that the thirst to bring the sport to Lake Charles led to the formation of one of the most successful teams most fashionable in Louisiana.

The club has appeared in six consecutive Louisiana Cricket Association championships and won three of them. The club is undefeated this season and is looking for another victory.

With the help of Calcasieu Parish Ward 3 Recreation and the City of Lake Charles, this new local sports dynasty has found a home at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex off Lake Street.

Before this, cricketers from the Lakes region had to travel out of the state to play.

“When I moved here, playing cricket here seemed like a far-fetched goal,” said Waqar Awan, president of the Louisiana Cricket Association. “Originally we were going to go to Houston and Beaumont and compete there.”

The club’s goal is still far from being achieved, as they hope their recent successes will grow the sport not only in the region but across the state.

“With all the amenities we have here, like casinos and other attractions, I think we can grow gaming a lot in our city,” Awan said.

Club members encourage southwest Louisianans to get involved in the sport because they say the game is for everyone. Cricket is considered the second most played and watched sport in the world, after football.

“We would like to invite everyone to come and at least look at it and try it. We had a few players come in with a baseball background, and they tried it and it went really well,” Moinuddin said.

The club plays its matches on Sundays on the cricket pitch of the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex.

More information about the matches and the club itself can be found here.

For standings and scores, the Louisiana Cricket Association website can be viewed here.

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