A friendly game of cricket: Chicago Tribune

In Bolingbrook, Indians and Pakistanis have found a home for their cultures and their favorite sport

By Joel Hood | Chicago Tribune reporter
July 27, 2008

Baseball is still the great American pastime. But in Bolingbrook, legions of immigrants from Pakistan, India and elsewhere are making the internationally beloved sport of cricket the summer game of 2008.

Men and boys in jersey tops and spiked shoes scamper around grass fields. Bats crack and white balls soar against a high blue sky.

Call it a cultural riff on a summer classic.

Each weekend, dozens of players suit up for club matches on fields in southwest suburban Bolingbrook. And on Sunday, thousands of fans are expected for a free exhibition match between assembled teams representing India and Pakistan at Indian Chase Meadows Park. Organizers and village officials are calling the match a landmark event for a community richly flavored by transplants from two historic adversaries.

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