Pakistani, Afghan migrants lead to cricket charge in Sweden
Cricket is booming in the Scandinavian country thanks to Afghan and Pakistani migrants
(AFP) Wooden bats and red balls are taking over Sweden s fields: cricket is booming in the Scandinavian country thanks to Afghan and Pakistani migrants who ve found a way to reconnect with their roots.
Cricket was barely seen in Sweden 10 years ago but it has exploded recently thanks to Afghan and Pakistani migrants. Photo: AFP
In a country where ice hockey reigns supreme, cricket was barely seen here 10 years ago. But it has exploded in popularity recently and now boasts 65 teams in towns across Sweden.
"Three or four years ago, we had only 13 clubs in Sweden and the number of players was around 600 or 700," said Tariq Zuwak, chairman of the Swedish Cricket Federation.
Now, the Swedish Cricket Federation now has four divisions and more than 2,000 players. Photo: AFP
With four divisions, the federation now counts more than 2,000 players: half have acquired Swedish citizenship, the other half are still waiting. Just a handful of members were born in Sweden.
With the visor of his cap shading his eyes from the sun, his face showing signs of exertion after a match, 18-year-old Saeed Ahmed is one of the recently arrived players.He began playing cricket as a young boy in his native Afghanistan. Arriving in Sweden in 2015 after a perilous and exhausting journey, signing up with a cricket team was a top priority.
Hard work pays off
Ahmed hopes to improve his game even further.On this unusually hot spring day in central Stockholm, he needs just 30 minutes to prove to Under-19s coach David Williman that his hard work is paying off.
"It was tough," admits Ahmed, originally from Jalalabad in eastern Nangarhar province.And no wonder: the young Afghan has just played against one of the best known cricket teams in the world: London s Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which holds worldwide responsibility for the sport s rules, known as Laws.
Under-19s cricket coach Williman (R) is helping young migrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve their game. Photo: AFP
The MCC team is in Sweden to instruct players on the official rules of the game, played by millions of people, predominantly in Britain s former colonies in Asia.
Facing off against the "Real Madrid of cricket", as the Swedes jokingly call MCC on the sidelines, they lose the game but have a blast nonetheless.
Adapting in face of influx
Swedish cricketers played against one of the best known cricket teams in the world, Photo: AFP
The number of cricket teams in Sweden has more than quadrupled in just a few years, a rise attributed "mainly to the global situation in recent years," Zuwak said.
Sweden has registered around 400,000 asylum applications since 2012 -- with more than one in eight coming from Afghanistan.
That represents one application for every 25 inhabitants in the Scandinavian country, a record in Europe. Sweden saw a peak of 162,000 asylum applications in 2015.
As Sweden grappled with the massive influx, the cricket federation also found itself having to adapt, creating new teams across the country.
It also created two new positions, including one dedicated solely to integrating new arrivals into Swedish society.
Forget worries
Playing cricket is a way for the asylum seekers to clear their thoughts and forget the troubles that hang over them while their asylum applications are being processed.
"The youngsters miss their families and are worried about their asylum process. But when they play cricket, there is nothing else on their mind than having fun," said federation chairman Zuwak.
It s also a way to avoid being brutally cut off from their roots.
As Sweden has grappled with a massive influx of migrants, the cricket federation has also found itself having to adapt, creating new teams across the country. Photo: AFP