Night time cricket boom in Ramadan 

By Sohail Rashid

Evenings and night times in Ramadan are used for prayers, shopping, socialization and cricket as people generally feel blessing during this month. Though amid sorrows of floods, youngsters this time too are seen playing cricket in streets, roadsides and playground having temporary light arrangements.

Cricket tournaments of ‘stipulated Overs’ are organised by various local clubs in almost every part of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in which a large number of youngsters participate. The minimum number of teams in any one-night cricket tournament is not less than 30.

Amazing changes are introduced by organisers of such tournaments themselves in rules of cricket such as number of balls from an over could be reduced from 6 to 4 and playing stroke in any particular side could be restricted to make the game more interesting.

It surprises many as to why youngsters select Ramadan only for night cricket matches while in rest of the year they doesn’t show any such interest? The youth have so many answers to this question.

“After having fast at day time, one must wish to have some sort of chill at night time. Same is the case with us, we want to have some fun with our friends in which we can enjoy our time and for that, we need any event, that’s why we play cricket in night time,” said Umar Shehzad, a resident of ‘Bhara Koh’.

Junaid Ali, 20, another youth and a resident of Satellite Town Rawalpindi said as Federal Directorate of Education has increased summer vacations and he has nothing to do at day time, he used to sleep through the day so that he can join his friends at night time for cricket.

“We saw our elders playing cricket at night time during Ramadan which was very fascinating for us. Now we have replaced them, so we are performing their job as a tradition,” said Tahir Abbas who was playing cricket with his friends in G-10 sector.

The night time cricket is seen in Muslim ground, “jhaz’ ground, degree college ground, I-8 sector and other cricket grounds of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

To avoid any type of accident, one must be careful while driving at night time on such roads and streets where this special cricket is going on. But never mind of this passionate game of youth on roads because they have no sufficient facilities of grounds in their vicinities and may be it is the only entertainment for them in the current scenario.