Columbia Cricket Group aims to spread sport across the Midlands

Cricket is as popular in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as football is in America.

Abednego Sigamani, a long-term resident of Midlands, said the sport is treated like a religion by some. Since moving to the area in 1995, his aim has been to spread enthusiasm for the sport among the locals.

“They say it's a religion, and the people who play it see them as a god,” Sigamani said. “I saw one of the ways I could bring people together, so the guys could do something, was cricket.”

Cricket is a game that most Americans don’t know about, but it’s the second most watched sport in the world. It has similar concepts to baseball, but it’s a completely different ball game. Sigamani said the best way to learn is to watch YouTube, play live games, and play.

The rules are quite simple. Two teams of 11 players alternate in batting and fielding. The batting team tries to score as many runs as possible before losing all 10 wickets (outs). The fielding team tries to beat the batsmen by knocking down the wicket stumps and limiting the other team's score. The one with the most runs at the end wins.

“It's easy to learn. Baseball has four bases. Cricket only has two,” Sigamani said.

Cricket originated in England and spread to British colonies. The sport saw a huge increase in interest in these places and its popularity rose. The first international match was between the United States and Canada in 1844. Canada won the match by 23 runs.

“America lost, and they never pursued it again. You know America doesn't like to lose,” Sigamani said.

While the US may not be as focused on cricket as it is on some of its own sports, the country recently saw the US national team pull off one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history by defeating Pakistan at the T20 World Cup.

USA Cricket took center stage when it hosted the tournament, making its first appearance after automatic qualification. The team impressed, reaching the Super Eight before being eliminated.

“They've built stadiums here now,” Sigamani said. “It's really growing, and we want to emulate growing cricket in Lexington.”

Sigamani was a founding member of the Columbia Cricket Group, which now has over 200 members from across the metropolis. The group plays in leagues every six weeks with about two months off in the winter.

“We play games, and we do it exactly like the international game,” Sigamani said. “We have everything on Facebook and social media. We bring people together and have tournaments in Lexington.”

The last competition ended in June and the next competition starts on July 13. As the group played on a field at the Gibson Road Soccer Complex, Sigamani said the future is uncertain.

“We absolutely need an alternative soil, and we are looking for it,” Sigamani said.

Sigamani is unsure how long Gibson will be available to the group and has had difficulty finding a potential replacement.

“We don't have a choice yet, but any baseball field will do,” he said.

If suitable replacement land were not found, it would be disastrous and would prevent further growth, Sigamani said.

“That's one of the biggest challenges we're facing right now. If you just think about it, it's going to kill our sport and the passion for this game,” he said.

With a suitable home, Sigamani can better fulfill his vision for expanding cricket in Lexington County and the rest of the Midlands area. He wants to continue the Columbia League, introduce new audiences to the sport, and hopefully work with schools and find sponsors in the future.

“The passion we have for the game, we love others too, and I want to share that with them,” Sigamani said. “People are emotional in how much they love this game, just like soccer in America.”