In 2005-06, they were a few men far from home, playing cricket with a tennis ball, often on a basketball court.
The Beijing Cricket Club (BCC) is where Indian and Pakistani expats have found common ground as it quickly grew into four teams that play Shanghai and Hong Kong tournaments.
Every weekend, members hop on to a bus that picks up expats for cricket at the Dulwich College’s new ground.
Trophies are stored at Beijing’s oldest sports pub Frank’s Place, the club’s unofficial base.
“We play even in winter,” says Debasish Das, software engineer and captain of First XI. “We can also
subsidise membership of deserving students.”
The Club has corporate sponsors and 100 active expat members. This May, it joined Sports Beijing, the capital's biggest youth sports organiser, to train children over 11 years in cricket.
“We want to generate more interest in the sport and get involved with the local community,” says BCC chairman Ian Renwick.