With players from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Africa and England, the ISU Cricket Club has bolstered a fall season that saw the the team win the American College Cricket Midwest Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

The tournament featured seven teams, from Iowa to New York, all vying for a bid to nationals held in Florida over spring break.

“We were pleased with winning the tournament as it qualifies us for nationals,” said Ganesha Upadhyaya, graduate student in computer science. “We also wanted to retain our title as midwest champions from the previous years.”

Upadhyaya and Mohammad Rashid, club president for the fall semester, are both from India and came to America specifically for school. Both started playing cricket at a young age.

Rashid said his biggest achievement as a cricket player was winning the tournament and making it to nationals.

As many would think, promoting the sport of cricket in Iowa is hard to do. In order to raise awareness about the team, they attend clubfest, host practices for anyone interested and go to the Ballard Kids Club to teach the children the rules of cricket

“As a club, we want to promote the game in America because around the world about 50 to 60 nations play cricket and even in America the game was played 150 years ago,” Rashid said.

The team this year is young and there are several new players. Some of the new guys have experience, but some of them have none. It was a big confidence boost for the team to come out on top at the tournament in Columbus.

“We are good, but we need to practice, practice and more practice to get better,” Upadhyaya said. “We have the talent with players who bat, field and play all-around well.”

Both agreed that one of the team’s weaknesses is the chemistry, due to some of the new guys being young. Upadhyaya credits the new guys with having experience, which has helped the team greatly.

The team doesn’t have an official coach, but rather an advisor who oversee’s the club. Craig Ogilvie, club advisor, will also play in occasional tournaments with the team.

Ogilvie’s cricket history dates back to when he was just six years old. Growing up in New Zealand, he also played on the country’s under-19 national team.

“The biggest challenge is to have a club that serves players who want to compete in national competitions, but also those who just want to play the just the occasional match,” Ogilvie said.

In order to meet those needs the clubs host two tournaments on campus for those who are interested. Then the team also competes in national tournaments like the American College Cricket Midwest Championships.

“I am here to provide an opportunity for both recreational and more competitive cricket players to play and also to ensure leadership succession,” Ogilvie said.