“That’s what cricket is all about,” explains Tahir Rana, captain of Aurora’s Royal Bengal Cricket Club. What “that” means is something to be discovered over a lifetime.
But the eight teams that form the Colorado Cricket League, stretching from Fort Collins to Albuquerque, have more on their minds than explanation. They’re looking to win.
In the centuries-old sport that is popular in England, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Australia, the precursor to American baseball is almost singularly concerned with scoring runs. And like baseball, statistics dominate. Seamheads, meet Wicketheads.
The CCL’s season runs from May to September, with bragging rights settled in their Premier League standings.
This year, Rana’s Royal Bengal club lost just one match, to New Mexico in the season opener in May, then won 11 matches in a row to finish atop the standings. A 51-run victory over Colorado Springs on Aug. 22 essentially determined the title. So it goes on the cricket pitch.
