CRICKET is played on the streets everywhere in the towns and cities of Pakistan, in apartment corridors, parking lots, parks, lanes, footpaths and streets. Played with great love and enthusiasm, it is a source of entertainment not only for the players but for all those who watch it.

The ball bounces into houses quite frequently and the doorbell is rang for the ball too often. At times the ball is confiscated and people refuse to return it, which is annoying to the players as it abruptly ends the play if there are no extra balls to play with.

Another disturbing factor is when glass panes or lights of surrounding buildings, get shattered. It initiates quarrel — putting the match in jeopardy. Traffic does not hinder the progress of the game as players wait for the traffic to pass and then resume the play, or the traffic stops to let the batsman take the run and then pass.

Though it is a good pastime and keeps children occupied, the noise and shouting where it is played is always a source of great disturbance — especially to the elderly in the area. But compared to this, night cricket is even more disturbing and annoying for the residents as sleep is disturbed because of the noise. Lights for night matches are usually arranged through unauthorised kundas, a major cause of our electricity crisis.

Street cricket is generally played with a tennis ball. However, the ball is wrapped in plastic tape (usually of white or red colour) to make it look like a regular cork ball covered with leather, the kind used in Test cricket. This is also to increase its weight to get the extra bounce and speed.

The stumps are makeshift arrangements such as metallic rods fixed on frames, or stones and the players then assume the height of the stumps to be around the waist. At times a chair or empty wooden crate can also be a substitute for the stumps at the striker’s end. Smaller children draw stumps on the wall with a chalk or a piece of coal. This helps in doing away with the wicketkeeper.

Besides its entertainment value, there are hazards of street cricket too. When street cricket is played on the main roads and thoroughfares, it creates hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic; a passer-by may get hurt or a moving vehicle may get damaged when the ball hits them.

And, if this happens, players casually and reluctantly say “Sorry” and carry on with their play. And worst still, a player may get hurt by a vehicle because they tend to run after the ball without watching out for the coming traffic — leaving it for the drivers to watch where the players are going and then make the effort to avoid them. This is something that is undesirable and may cause an accident.

Talent is in abundance in our country but sadly, they do not get the opportunity and support to groom their skills due to lack of facilities. There are not enough coaching camps and academies in the country and not everyone can afford them. School level cricket can serve as an effective platform to provide the necessary training.

To seriously promote cricket in Pakistan, a systematic and professional approach is needed to promote the game and groom the players at grassroots level.

Interestingly, some of our ace players such as Javed Miandad, Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir and Sohail Tanvir, to name a few, have all played street cricket.