For Saiyed Ahmed and his friends, cricket is more than just a sport they play — it’s the fabric that holds their group of friends and community together. It’s a way for newly arrived immigrants to find new friends after leaving their home country. It’s a dream for aspiring cricket pros to play at the national level. And for Ahmed, it’s a passion to raise awareness of his favorite sport that he played in his native Bangladesh before moving to Detroit in 2002. In Banglatown, if residents wanted to play cricket, they would have to create a makeshift one on the parking lot and grounds south of the Knapp branch of the Detroit Public Library; at a one-day tournament on the Fourth of July, a string of multicolored foam rollers marked the boundary of the playing area, and farther infield there were two sets of stumps (called wickets) set up on the parking lot. And where there would be what’s called a cricket pitch — a rectangular, grassy area where the batsmen take a crack at balls bowled to them — is only concrete. (There are fields in the suburbs and a playing area on Belle Isle.)



Ahmed would see kids playing on the lot, sometimes falling and hurting themselves on the concrete. The lack of dedicated space to play in this neighborhood, which is home to a sizable Bangladeshi population, inspired him to advocate for one. It’s been a project of his for about a year and a half, says Ahmed, who eagerly embraced his role as a spokesman of sorts for his fellow cricket players and community. His work paid off in early August with the arrival of a new regulation-size cricket field, located adjacent to the Lasky Recreation Center at the corner of Charles and Fenelon streets. It features a 12’ wide by 82’ long pitch with sports turf and surrounding 450’ diameter field of natural grass, according to Jeff Klein, park development manager of the General Services Department. The field replaced mostly open and unused space, and an unutilized baseball field was removed. There are also benches and picnic tables for spectators. “We're very happy to have a cricket ground here and we're very delighted,” Ahmed says, adding many in Banglatown have been checking it out and it’s not just for playing; it’s become a gathering spot. “The other day, a few guys came here (and) they took selfies with the ground. This is like a picnic stop for (locals) … this is (where people come to take an) evening walk.”

"Looking at this cricket field maybe 5, 10 years I would not be able to play at that time. I'll be sitting out and watching the kids play and that would be a joy for me. So I'm just basically setting up for the future.”