Toledoan Shaukat Rashid has watched over the past several years as cricket, a popular sport in his native Pakistan, has gained traction in the U.S.
That growing interest, as well as his personal love for the bat and ball sport, is why Dr. Rashid is overjoyed Toledo councilmen are considering adding a second cricket pitch — or field — to their public park offerings.
There has been one place to play cricket in Toledo since the late 1990s, a pitch at the Beatty Park off Central Avenue. Council on Tuesday will vote on whether to construct and install a new cricket pitch at Winterfield Park in South Toledo.
“There has been significant growth in terms of the community and diversity and immigrants,” said Dr. Rashid, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 and moved to Toledo in 2005 to practice medicine. “This will kind of promote the sport but also get the community involved more in terms of what we’re doing.”
Dr. Rashid is a member of the Greater Toledo Cricket Club, affectionately known as Cricket_Boyz Toledo. He said there are about half a dozen cricket leagues around Toledo, including the University of Toledo’s club, and teams from Michigan and Indiana come to Toledo to compete as well.
His club has pledged to split the $18,750 cost of excavating, construction, and installing the new field. He is hopeful that the new field can be fully up and running for next summer’s season, and he is looking forward to hosting mini-camps for adults and kids who want to learn more about the sport.
“It was not really very much used, Winterfield Park, and I think it will bring more positive activities to this area,” Dr. Rashid said. “We want to do an open house and then put camps there.”
Councilman Tyrone Riley said he supports the proposal in part because it will give the youth who live near Winterfield Park exposure to the sport and perhaps something new to get involved in.
“A lot of residents are not familiar with the sport except for when they see it on TV being played,” Mr. Riley said. “In this particular instance they’ll get an opportunity to see it first-hand and also be able to participate by maybe joining one of the clubs or organizations.”
He added that he would like to see other growing sports played at city-owned parks soon. He envisions lacrosse fields at Sleepy Hollow Park or Savage Park.
Councilman Rob Ludeman seconded his colleague’s thoughts. He said he would love to see lacrosse fields installed and also urged parks officials to consider adding more baseball and softball diamonds at parks throughout the city.
Karen Ranney Wolkins, commissioner of parks, recreation, and forestry, said she is open to offering more recreational activities at the public parks if there’s a demand for it.
She added that crews will be able to spruce up the Beatty Park cricket pitch once the work at Winterfield Park is complete, which means hopefully by next summer leagues will have more options for practice, camps, or competitions at the city’s parks.
Dr. Rashid said sports bring people together and he is hopeful a growing interest in cricket could encourage Toledoans to embrace their diverse community.
“Locals and immigrants can all interact in the sport,” he said. “Putting it out to the community and getting the kids involved... to me, it’s important to connect. This may be one avenue to connect.”
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/c...o-toledo-winterfield-park/stories/20190512032
Soccer is a much more global and popular sport but it still has not gained a foothold in the USA even after trying for a long time. Cricket just doesnt stand a chance. 
and ofcourse his favorite player is 
- Cricket is not a very active sports
