Cricket Anyone?

As non-native employees make Minnesota their home, their employers need to find ways to retain them. One way is to support the activities they pursued in their home countries. To judge by the state’s immigration trends, one of the more noticeable outlets is cricket.

 

On the Rise

The state has roughly 150,000 residents from Asia, half of whom arrived in the last 15 years. The biggest influx today comes from cricket-playing nations such as India, Pakistan, China, the West Indies, and certain African nations. Close to 20,000 Asian-Indians live here, about half of whom have arrived over the last decade. The state also has around 40,000 African-born residents. That’s up from fewer than 5,000 a decade and a half ago.

These newer residents hold positions in the state’s key industries—medical and high-tech, for example—and they seek social connections. Here, the Minnesota Cricket Association (MCA) provides an invaluable outlet. The nonprofit organization was formed in the 1970s and is aligned with the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA). The USACA is an associate member of the International Cricket Council, the major governing body of world cricket.

The MCA is supported by player fees and some business sponsorship. Its teams play in the warmer months at a field near the intersection of highways 169 and 394 in St. Louis Park. Nearly everyone competing in Minnesota’s league is foreign born.

 

Grubbers, Googlies, and Golden Ducks

Despite America’s bewilderment, cricket really isn’t more difficult to understand than any other game. It’s a bat and ball game. It has fielders and innings. It’s played with a fair amount of patience. And, like baseball, it has a rich lexicon. Cricket is best understood when witnessed. A visual context demystifies the grubbers, googlies, and golden ducks, just as live baseball clarifies the meaning of taters, Texas Leaguers, and frozen ropes.

“Cricket is one of the most important things in my life,” says Amit Jain, a 26-year-old mechanical and civil engineer. He received his master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and now works for RFA Minnesota Engineering in Eden Prairie. “Playing cricket here takes me closer to India and makes me feel more and more at home.” He’s played the game since about age 13. For the past few years, he’s played for one of the MCA’s most successful squads and has been a member of a winning regional team.

“Playing cricket for most of the Asians—we have Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Bangladeshis playing here—and the West Indians, has always been more than a sport,” Jain says. “Although the atmosphere during games is very competitive, things cool off pretty quickly with a chilled beer after the tussle,” he adds. “There is great camaraderie between players of different countries on and off the field.”