Pitch on the Pasture: Cricket in the Cowboy State

September 3, 2012, 12:59 am

By NINA SWAMIDOSS MCCONIGLEY

The heart of the University of Wyoming's campus in Laramie is Prexy's Pasture, a big, grassy area surrounded by blue spruce and mountain pine. According to university lore, the pasture was where students grazed their horses in the late 19th century; a standing university rule dictates that the president, or “prexy,” has sole rights to the area for livestock grazing.

The pasture is bordered on one side by the College of Agriculture, while the southwest corner is dominated by the Cheney International Center and the Dick and Lynne Cheney Plaza, named after the former U.S. vice president (an alumnus) and his wife. The pasture is also where, several evenings a week, barring snow, the Universi ty of Wyoming Cricket Club practices and plays.

On a recent evening, less than 24 hours after arriving in Laramie from New Delhi, Vishal Nangla, 26, was playing - though he had barely settled in, much less acclimated (Laramie sits at an elevation of 7,200 feet, compared to about 700 for New Delhi). He and his new roommate, Vijay Sabawat, who was also on the field, are working toward their PhDs in civil engineering.

Mr. Sabawat recalled that when he first arrived in Wyoming, he thought, “There's nothing here. Where did I come to?” But that same week, he said, “I came to Prexy's and saw them playing cricket, and then I made friends.” Cricket, he said, is “the major entertainment here” for South Asian students.

Amit Thakar, the club's faculty leader and a senior researcher in neuroscience, has made cricket into a club sport at the university. Close to 50 Indian, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and Bangladeshi students make up the team. Originally from Gujarat, Dr. Thakar played cricket competitively in India before becoming a scientist. He has been in Wyoming since 2005.

For Indian students arriving in Laramie, “Cricket is the gateway to the Indian community,” Dr. Thakar said. He estimates that at least 10 languages can be heard when they play, but cricket itself provides a common language for the Guajaratis, Punjabis, Bengalis, Tamils and other Indians in Laramie. There are roughly 75 Indian students on the campus of 13,000. The whole state of Wyoming, whose population is slightly more than half a million, has an Asian population of less than 1 percent.

The students play three times a week at Prexy's, except during Wyoming's frigid winters, when they use a basketball court (and play with tennis balls). For some of the players, it is their first time on a real team. Despite this, the club won the Colorado T20 Tennis Ball Premiere League Cricket championship last year. The Colorado lea gue has 16 teams, many of them from businesses rather than universities; some teams come from as far away as Nebraska and New Mexico to play.

Many of the Indian students in the club have never played cricket seriously before. Now “they are getting the chance,” Dr. Thakar said. “But even if they haven't played, they've watched.”

But it's not just lack of experience that can pose difficulties. For players unaccustomed to the altitude, “You get tired faster. You have to build up your stamina,” said Dr. Thakar.

Mr. Nangla, after playing for about 20 minutes, sat down sweating, his breath labored. “Now I feel the altitude,” he admitted.

Many of the Indian students say they find Laramie a welcoming place, despite the cold and the isolation.

Krishna Pakala, a PhD in mechanical engineering from Hyderabad, said he appreciated the virtues of a small town. “Laramie is so nice,” he said. “In a big city, nobody cares.”

Karan Man has, from Thane, outside Mumbai, added, “It's safe. It's quiet.” Playing cricket, he said, “feels like home. You meet so many Indians. We are with our own people.”

Seeing cricket played on Prexy's Pasture sometimes surprises other students, most of whom are from Wyoming. “You've got exchange students who are making incredible strides in their personal careers and in their research in the university, but at that very moment, all that really seems to matter is the ball hitting the bat,” said Mike Morris, a recent graduate from Cheyenne. “I didn't pick up on any sense of alienation or cultural isolation,” he added. “These guys were all right at home out there on Prexy's.”

Students passing by often ask, “What are the rules?” Dr. Thakar said. “We always tell them it's similar to baseball, but not exactly.”

Even the university's president, Tom Buchanan, who said he's often paused to watch students playing, admitted, “I know very litt le about the sport.” Still, he said, “it reminds me once again of the rich cultural context that our international student population brings to our campus.”

“It's lovely to come out on a Friday afternoon and see this,” said Tom Hill, an Australian researcher in the university's agriculture department. “Here I am in Wyoming seeing a bunch of Indian guys playing cricket. It's a statement of the internationality of our world. Laramie is a town of surprises. You can never assume anything.”