Fromberge to Field: How Bengalis in Berlin Create Cricket Haven
Zero-filter, Uncensored Assistant's Take:
Sunday afternoon, smack-dab in Berlin Volkspark Rehberge. The turf, a brittle shade of yellow instead of green, is host to about 40 dudes, all yelling incomprehensible gibberish and sprinting around like they're in some kind of bizarre dance. Murad Al Hasan, a dude with a pair of cameras, stands on the sidelines, capturing the madness. A guy with a bat, another with a ball - pow! The ball whacks the bat and almost takes off a bird in flight.
Alim Miah, a 42-year-old cricketer, isn't watching. He's facing away, lost in the steam rising from the strewn-about food. There's Chotpoti, a spicy Bengali street food concoction of chickpeas and ginger. Probably too spicy for German taste buds, but just right for Alim's. He's gripping that white plastic bowl tighter than a cat clutching a mouse, like it's his last chance at a lifeline.
"What football is to you, cricket is to us"
Alim's a cricket player. His team, the Bangladesh Cricket Club Berlin, is hosting this tournament today. Ten teams, seven from Berlin, the others from Halle, Magdeburg, and Hamburg. "We've got 170 players today. All Bengalis," Alim grins, showing off pride that could make a king blush. He's had a break, so he can ask a few questions.
Why cricket? "What football is to you, cricket is to us," Alim shrugs. A national sport? "Yeah, kind of. Not officially or anything, but that's the vibe." He shovels another mouthful in, chews, swallows, then offers, "You don't know anyone, and so you know everyone." What does that mean? "Cricket connects us. For many of us, it creates a sense of home." Home like...? "Like a family. Community. Togetherness. Feeling of belonging."
Alim frequently talks about 'you' and 'us' - he's using 'you guys' for Germans and 'us' for Bengalis. He's both: German and Bengali. 'Cause Alim was born in Berlin to a German mother and a Bengali father. His childhood was all German until he flew to Bangladesh when he was 11, supposedly just to catch up on some culture and learn about the rest of his family. But one month became seven years. Seven years spent deep in a new culture, learning a new language he hadn't mastered before. It was during this time that he stumbled upon cricket.
A sport with colonial baggage
"In Bangladesh, you can't escape cricket," Alim reminisces, his voice rich with nostalgia. "It's everywhere and always on TV. We even have our own cricket league where even foreign players play. Like in the Bundesliga, you know." Unlike in Bangladesh, hardly anyone in Germany knows cricket. Yet the sport has its roots in England.
Cricket's first official match took place in 1646 in the English county of Kent. During the height of British colonialism in the 19th century, the English spread cricket to their colonies. Since then, the game has been popular in many Commonwealth countries.
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"In principle, cricket is like baseball, but completely different," Alim explains. While the basic idea of hit, run, score points remains, the rules, the scoring system, and the equipment are "completely different."
Alim's done with his food and is now adjusting his jacket's zipper. It's getting chilly. He pulls up the hood and squints at the sky, looking worried. Rain would be a bummer. According to the plan, the last game should end at 8 pm, and rain would mean a pause. Precious minutes that would just be added on. A glance at the clock shows: already 2:45 pm. Alim's got to leave, got a meeting for the next game.
While Alim's team is doing a quick warm-up, the players from the other teams are just chilling. Yeah, chilling. Just sitting under the big oaks at the edge of the field, talking in small groups. Something they do a lot on tournament days, 'cause a game can sometimes last a few hours - even up to five days for pros.
The Livestream is Rolling
Murad's in a rush. He's darting his eyes left and right. He's gotta time it perfectly when the game on the left ends, and the game on the right starts. Murad snatches the two tripods with two smartphones in their holders. He slings the tripods under his arms and races the good fifty meters along the field line marked with yellow plastic cups.
Seconds until game start, but Murad's quick maneuvers are routine. Fold out the tripod legs, adjust the phone cameras, hit the red record button. Done! The livestream is running.
When Murad came to Germany six years ago for his studies, he hadn't played cricket before. He only started playing once he joined the Berlin Desperados. Since then, cricket has been his life's passion. This is clear when Murad talks about cricket, like his eyes sparkle with excitement. A passion he wants to share with others. That's why he started "broadcasting" - as he calls it - some time ago. On YouTube and in the app "Crickheroes". There, cricket fans can now watch all the games of the Berlin Desperados live.
"I want to make memories," Murad says, fighting back tears. "And I want to be able to show my kids later how their dad spent his time when he wasn't with them. It's important to me. Because on some game weekends, I barely see my family."
Marejke Talea Tammen, a journalist who writes about German federal politics in her day job, likes telling stories about people who touch, inspire, or even piss her off in her free time.
This is a contribution submitted as part of our Open Source initiative. With Open Source, the Berlin publisher gives everyone interested the opportunity to offer texts with relevant content and professional quality standards. Selected contributions will be published and paid.
Alim, being both German and Bengali, finds a sense of connection and belonging in cricket, a sport he discovered during his seven-year stay in Bangladesh. He reminisces about cricket's popularity in Bangladesh, where it's even considered a national sport, despite not being official.
Inspired by the sport's impact on his life, Alim's friend Murad started livestreaming cricket matches, sharing his passion for the game with others and creating a platform for cricket enthusiasts in Germany.
