A Group Of Pakistani Street Cricketers Bring The Sport To Life In Greece
Football is the the most loved sport in Greece, so the cricket is a foreign subject. However, for the many Pakistani migrants living in Athens, a nation that lives and breathes cricket, the love for the sport comes naturally.
On the weekends, growing community of cricketers travel across the capital to abandoned grounds and parking lots, to partake in a tape-ball cricket - alternate version of the game that started in Pakistan, which requires a tennis ball swaddled in electrical tape.
"I love cricket. I'm crazy for cricket. I'm 30 years old and I'm playing for 20 years," said Awais Mughal, a Pakistani delivery worker in Greece.
"In my country, whenever I go, I play all day," Mughal said. "In Greece we play only on Sundays because we work six days a week." He added.
In case you didn't know, 50,000 Pakistanis reside in Greece, many of them are labors in factories/fields, other's own small convenience stores or restaurants. As the Cricket World Cup is on right now, many compete in local tape-ball tournaments, and the fan's excitement can be witnessed in homes and restaurants.