As a boy,I played cricket every chance I got, mainly with my brothers, Michael & Ricky who were close to my age & later Errol, or with anyone, & even alone !…we played in the sunshine & in the dark….I wished I could get school credit for playing, but thought that was pure fantasy !  

Well, thanks to the work of Boston University Cricket Club President Hayat Khan students at BU can now get credit for learning & playing cricket !

Some months ago Hayat began the process of motivating the relevant college administrators to start such a class. He discussed the idea with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah, who gave Hayat a syllabus,& some suggestions. Nadir Budhwani, Phd had pioneered such a course  in 2005 at the University of Minnesota, which was continued by Charles Peterson.

In between doing his college work & exams, playing in the American College Cricket Regionals ( BU’s first match on TV), & getting the team ready for the Nationals, Hayat made a film & did the requisite presentations to get the course approved, then called Lloyd with the great news !

Here’s Hayat’s description of the class:

The class is called PDP GS 150 (GS for general sports). It’s a 1 credit class and it meets in the FitRec which is the Fitness and Recreation Center (the gym). It will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 11 am. BU student Hayat Khan will be the instructor for the class.

Beginning-level course on the history and rules of cricket. Basic skills will be explored with an emphasis on mastering batting, bowling and fielding techniques. By the end of class, students should be familiar with the fundamentals of cricket and be able to participate in practice games. Equipment will be provided.

Hayat at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011, teaching a boy how to hold a bat.

This class comes soon after BU put an exciting moving cricket graphic as their banner on the University Homepage !

A true American cricketer, Hayat Khan is the BU Cricket Club President & Captain, & has played in a number of American College Cricket National & Regional Championships. As a high school student he played in the PSAL and the NYPD youth cricket leagues, & one of the reasons he selected Boston University for college, was because he read about BU’s American College Cricket team.

The Boston University CC under then President Sumantro Das, & Captain Shilpin Makwana is one of the 5 pioneering pillars of American College Cricket that played the first Championship in 2009 and has played every tournament since. It was given the honor of being the first college team (vs Rutgers) to play at the CBRP Cricket Stadium (in 2010).

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 The players to represent the University of Minnesota at the 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship have been announced,and they are:

Nirmalan Raviraj – Batsman
Suraj Pai – Batsman
Mewankumara Gunasekara – Batsman
Vikas Pandya – Wicketkeepr/Batsman
Vishal Yeliseti – Bowler
Mayuresh Rajaratnam – Batsman
Parth Kothari – All Rounder
Abdullah Nasari – Wicketkeeper/ All Rounder
Shantanu Chavan – Batsman
Aakash Jain – Batsman
Saksham Chopra – Batsman
Wasim Parpia – Bowler
Utsav Maheshwari – Batsman
Dhruv Khullar – Bowler
Mathuri Rama – Batsman

The team will be accompanied by their Coach Charles Peterson, who is also the Faculty Advisor.

For the 2010 Championship Coach Peterson hurriedly put together a team, and working with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah began the process of forming a cricket club. This time the team is prepared, and also happens to be one of the youngest in the Championship with an average age just under 20 !

The University of Minnesota has the distinction of being the only US or Canadian University known to have a Credit Course in Cricket. Instructor Charles Peterson explained :

“‘Beginning Cricket’ is designed for those who have little or no knowledge of this international sport. The objectives are to teach the fundamentals of cricket, explore the structure of international cricket and current events, briefly explore historical development, as shaped by 17th century England, and social relevance of colonialism and Apartheid. Students are introduced to hardball gear, but skills, drills and matches are played with softball equipment. The class is 12-14 weeks, depending on the calendar. By the sixth week, students regularly participate in limited over matches. After 14 weeks, they are well on the way to becoming cricket converts.”

The School of Kinesiology has offered the one credit cricket class, PE1071 ‘Beginning Cricket’, every semester, since Fall of 2005. According to Brandi Hoffman (Physical Activity Program Director) at the University of Minnesota School of Kinesiology, cricket has been one of the most popular physical activity offerings. Students consistently join the ‘Wait List” with the hope of getting a place. The University of Minnesota’s “Beginning Cricket” course was pioneered by Nadir Bhudhwani, Ph.D (U of Minn).

American College Cricket is working on getting more Colleges offering cricket credit course, and Instructor Peterson is currently advising staff at another major University on designing and implementing a course.

UMN at the 2010 American College Cricket Championship -Charles Peterson in yellow pants

Desire to participate in the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship is spurring the growth of cricket all over the USA & Canada. Though the University of Minnesota has had a Credit Course in Cricket for 5 years, the new Cricket Club was only founded in January.

“I think there’s an interest in cricket,” Minnesota Team Cricket’s student adviser and coach Charles Peterson said. “We’ve had so many requests to join the club in the last few months it’s unreal.”

Minnesota Team Cricket must prove to have longevity if it is to count itself among teams officially recognized by the University. Last winter the team found itself sporadically practicing on a basketball court. In fact, the first time the team ever played on an outdoor field was when it went to the American College Cricket Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in March.

The University of Minnesota Media, the Minnesota Daily wrote about the Cricket Club in a Front Page story – READ MORE
http://www.mndaily.com/2010/07/07/u-cricket-team-seeks-student-group-funding

College Cricketers are among the brightest and the best. You go on to major positions in medicine, finance,  IT, engineering, law and other professions, but sometimes you need a little help finding that first position.

Send your information to us, we will post it in a special Section FREE. This offer is limited to players who have particpated in either of the American College Cricket Championships or other American College Cricket-approved games.

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The 2010 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship was, according to Charles Peterson, Cricket Intructor at the University of Minnesota, ” the greatest thing to happen for cricket in the USA in over 100 years. ”        

The benefits are rapidly accruing. For example this weekend George Washington U, College of Wooster and Carnegie Mellon University wil play a “Mini -Tournament” . Maaz Khan, Captain of the Wooster team had this to say, 

“We are having a mini-Tournament next weekend between Wooster, Geroge Washington U and Carnegie Mellon U. Thanks for all the networking…..the American College Cricket Championship was a really good experience for the Wooster cricket team. Great job….. you guyz have really worked hard.” 

It is only fitting then that the best student-athletes who participated in the Championship be given the title of “All Americans”.  Accordingly, within the next week the College Cricket All America 1st and 2nd XI’s will be named.  

The 2010 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship was, according to Charles Peterson, Cricket Intructor at the University of Minnesota, ” the greatest thing to happen for cricket in the USA in over 100 years. ”                  

It is only fitting then that the best student-athletes who participated in the Championship be given the title of “All Americans”.  Accordingly, within the next week the College Cricket All America 1st and 2nd XI’s will be named.