At 15-years-old, Kunj Changela spends up to 20 hours a week either training for or playing cricket, a passion born in his parents' western Sydney backyard.

“People think I am crazy or something because I love the game that much,” he said.

Kunj Changela is registered eight times in the MyCricket database. Credit:Edwina Pickles

And under Cricket Australia's current arrangement for counting its players, the Kellyville Ridge teenager is also eight people.

The peak cricketing body has boasted of a healthy growth in participation rates over the last decade, currently claiming there are about 1.65 million Australians who play the sport with nearly a million children playing in sport classes at school.