Last year, the Ice Cricket Tournament at St. Moritz in Switzerland had been quite successful and some of the recent reports are suggesting that the fans will have another chance to witness the beautiful game on the ice again. This time, the game is all set to be played in India with Kashmir in line to host their first cricket match on snow. The game is expected to take place on February 15 in Pahalgam, a popular tourist spot in the picturesque state. Khan International Sports (KIS), an international cricket goods brand of J&K, is organizing the ice cricket match along with the Tourism Department.
Jammu and Kashmir skipper Parvez Rasool and Bangladesh cricketer Anamul Haque Bijoy will be some of the biggest names who will grace the field in the much-awaited match. The organizers have confirmed Rasool and Anamul will lead the teams in the one-off game. While Anamul will lead Valley Professionals team Rasool will be in charge of Valley Legends. The squad of both the teams is not finalized yet although the organizers confirmed there will be players from outside the state as well.
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As per the reports of Greater Kashmir, KIS director, Firdous Khan said, “Bijoy has given us his confirmation. He will be leading the team against our very own star cricketer Parvez Rasool’s team. Though we are yet to confirm all players for the match, it will be the mixture of outside and Kashmir based cricketers.”
The game will be a 6-A-Side game as Khan said he was inspired to arrange the game after being inspired by last year’s Ice Cricket Tournament in Switzerland.
Khan further added, “Last year similar ice cricket tournament of the international level was held in Switzerland. I got inspired by that and wanted to conduct a similar event in Kashmir. I floated the idea and got positive feedback from some cricketers including Haque and Parvez.”
Meanwhile, Rasool, who has represented India in two matches, said that he is looking forward to the new experience. The first player from the state to play international cricket, Rasool said that Ice cricket is a fun way to keep the youngsters involved in the game.
Rasool explained, “I am looking forward to being a part of the event. It is a good idea to keep youngsters involved with the game in a fun way.”
