M Aamir Khan
Srinagar: If you want to play snow cricket, you will have to bat like explosive West Indian batsman Chris Gayle. And the Jamaican hard hitting batsman is the most popular player in Gurez along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir where snow cricket is getting popular with every passing day.
As there is little scope for scoring singles and doubles on an icy pitch and a snow covered field, a ‘Gayle Storm Cricket League’ presently being played at Gulshanpora, Bagtore in Gurez is catching the attention of sports lovers all over the world.
“When we play snow cricket, we mostly play lofted strokes and scoring singles and doubles is not easy. Therefore, we have lots of hard hitting batsmen here and all are inspired by Gayle. They all want to bat like him and today we are playing the semi-finals of the ongoing ‘Gayle Storm Cricket League’. Presently, six teams are playing this tournament and there will be another league later,” Bagtore Cricket Club co-owner Samir Nazir told The Kashmir Monitor.
The ‘Gayle Storm Cricket League’ is being organised by the Bagtore Cricket Club only and Samir said it became popular on social media after the advent of the internet in Gurez.
“Gurez remains cut off during winters and snow cricket has been going on for the past many years. But, there was no connectivity here before and due to lack of communication (internet), nobody would come to know about our love for snow cricket. We play snow cricket from January till March. It all depends how long the snow will last. Each team has 11 players and we only play a game of 12 to 15 overs per side as days are short in winters. A total of two matches are played daily,” he said.
Mudasir Riyaz, co-owner of the Bagtore Cricket Club, said at least 300 boys played snow-cricket in the area and further stated that the government should help them in their initiatives.
“After this ‘Gayle Storm Cricket League’, we will play more tournaments and different sides will play. Around 300 youth in the area presently play snow cricket actively. We hope the government supports us in our endeavours as snow cricket has a lot of potential. It will even help attract tourists to Gurez and Kashmir,” he said.
Photographs and videos of snow cricket played on an icy pitch are presently viral on social media and attracting attention of celebrities all over the world.
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