ST. CLOUD - It's not a common sport to find in Minnesota, but cricket has recently gained strong following with students at St. Cloud State University.

The cricket club was formed in 2007 and meets twice a week to play. Saksham Poudel is the president of the club and says the group gets strange looks whenever they play.

"People will stop and ask us what we're playing-sometimes they will even stop to watch."

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In a basic sense, the sport has similarities to baseball, in a normal game each team will have 11 players. One team has a bowler delivering the ball to the batsman with a wicket-keeper standing behind.

"One is the wicket keeper and one is the baller and the opponent always has two players as batsmen-you can hit at any angle and cast the bat in any direction," Poudel says.

The objective of the game is also similar to baseball-score more runs than the other team. Despite some similarities, the game and equipment is very different overall.

"There is a huge difference compared to baseball, even the bat is different and wider-the ball in cricket is also smaller," Poudel says.

The bowler usually takes a running start before throwing the ball. The ball can be skipped and can be thrown almost anywhere below the head of the batsman.

The St. Cloud State University Cricket Club plays Wednesday and Friday nights at about 6:00 p.m. in the Halenbeck fieldhouse. The club is open to anyone interested and there is no membership fee.

For more, visit their website.

-If you have a suggestion for a club to be featured in this series, contact Dan DeBaun at dan@wjon.com or 320-257-7205-

Dan DeBaun, WJON
Dan DeBaun, WJON
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