In a country that follows Football like a religion, national Cricket teams waver almost unseen. Playing and practicing on abandoned playgrounds and borrowed football fields, young men who have migrated from Pakistan and Afghanistan have brought with them the sport they love the most.
With 1500 players and 70 teams registered with the German Cricket Federation in 2012, today, there are around 5000 cricketers playing in 220 teams. Federation Manager Brian Mantle said he receives inquiries from refugees and social workers on a daily basis all eager to set up their own groups. "It's going crazy! They can't offer refugees things like German lessons, they can't offer them schooling. So they're sitting in their homes doing nothing," he said. Coach of one of the newest clubs in the eastern town Bautzen, Ahmad Irshad said, "They said this is Germany, no one plays cricket here. It was really strange and a really new thing for them. I tried my best, I tried to convince them and tried again and then I was able to make them understand." The town has 2000 registered asylum seekers.
One of the players Sunny talks to a reporter saying, "If I can do something for Germany then I will play cricket and I will show them the game that is in our veins. Germany has become the best in football and it will become thebest in cricket too. Sport is the best way to make unity. We have Muslim guys, Christian guys and I belong to a Sikh family. When we play together, we forget everything."
