While the sport of cricket could hardly be considered popular across Bulgaria, Pakistani-born Saif ur Rehman is determined to make it known. Twelve years ago, Rehman moved here for business and quickly noticed there was no cricket team here in Bulgaria. He decided to change that.

On a cold winter’s day in 2000, he invited his Bulgarian friends out to learn and play the game, despite the freezing temperatures. One friend challenged Rehman’s intentions as he froze in the sub-zero temperatures, waiting for someone to whack the ball into the outfield. Rehman assured him it would be worth the wait.

And it has been! Having formed the Bulgarian Cricket Federation in 2003, Bulgaria now boasts eight cricket teams across the country and two major tournaments, including the Bulgarian National Championship and the Bulgarian Cricket Cup, all of which developed under Rehman’s watchful eye.

The game of cricket is popular all over Europe, in the West Indies, Australia and South Africa. While baseball lasts a specified number of innings and only a few hours, cricket relies on days-long tournaments, runs and wickets to keep score. A simple game of cricket could last one day or a tournament of five days. Regardless, the matches are so long (eight to nine hours), that they break for lunch and tea.

While people unfamiliar with the game imagine stuffy men in white outfits, Rehman seeks to dispel this myth. “The game started more than 200 years ago, when (men) used to wear white suits.” But now, competitive teams wear colourful athletic uniforms and the game itself is complicated, fast-paced, and exciting.

Although there are eight teams across the country, few can afford to attend the major tournaments sponsored by and held at the National Sport Academy on the outskirts of Sofia. The players must personally finance their travels and equipment, despite Rehman’s best efforts to acquire sponsors. This often leads to teams not attending tournaments both in Bulgaria and in greater Europe.

The National Sport Academy has proven to be a valuable supporter. Not only does Rehman major in the sport of cricket there, making him all the more qualified to create a programme and coach the national team, but the academy also hosts the major tournaments and provides the grounds and facilities free of charge. Teams need only finance their travel and lodging. Still, without commercial sponsors, many teams find themselves unable to even muster the minimal amount to travel to Sofia and pay for their stay, equipment and uniforms.

Even so, Rehman and his mentor from the Sport Academy, associate professor Nikolai Kolev, soldier on building their programme from the elementary school level with a programme called Cricket Friends. This programme focuses on three main goals. First, they aim to broadly advertise the sport across the country in an effort to raise awareness. Then, they send specialists who have completed courses in cricket out to schools to teach children how to play the game. They also seek out interested and qualified physical education teachers to continue developing the children’s skills and interests in cricket. Finally, Cricket Friends provides the necessary equipment for students to learn and play the game.

Rehman explains the importance of this programme in terms of football: “Not every child will be a good footballer, maybe they will learn there are other sports for them.” The programme now includes at least 200 participating students in Sofia and plans to expand to Varna.

Rehman and Kolev’s ultimate goal is to build a comprehensive national cricket programme. They envision a pyramid-like structure. At the base are the open classes and education of children. Here, everyone is encouraged to participate. The next level of the pyramid consists of university-level teams where players would be selected based on ability. Even more exclusive would be a professional club level, similar to football clubs. Finally, the most prestigious level would include a national team with the best players selected from clubs across the nation.

Currently the pyramid only has two levels, the base consisting of the Cricket Friends programme, and the top, the Bulgarian national team. Rehman and Kolev recognise that the middle level will come as children learning the game today grow into the university- and club-level players of tomorrow.

Rehman is all too aware that in order to grow the cricket programme in Bulgaria, he must first educate people about the game. This requires some amount of media exposure to drum up interest and sponsors. “The period we are living in is a very, very fast period. We need to use the media to show [cricket],” he explains. With football and tennis monopolising the sports channels, Rehman feels “the media doesn’t help cricket” here. He hopes to change this as he actively seeks out sponsors and invites anyone interested to come watch a tournament.

Rehman himself excelled in the sport in Pakistan. He played on club teams there, though there was too much competition to make the national team. This did not diminish Rehman’s love of the game. “My dream was to do something for cricket. God gave one chance, maybe this is why I am here.”

Having lived in Bulgaria for 12 years, Rehman feels at home here. While he misses his friends and family back home, he communicates weekly by e-mail or telephone. He has visited home several times in the past dozen years. “I adopt this country. Now, for me, there is no difference. I speak perfect Bulgarian and I have many friends here.” About his Muslim religion, he notes that “nobody has ever made a problem for me”. He feels comfortable and free to practice his beliefs.

That said, he recognises some differences between life in Bulgaria and life in Pakistan. For one, during the holy month of Ramadan, all of Pakistan observes the fast. The restaurants are closed and nobody is eating or drinking. Here, he finds his religion to be more personal. He decides when and how to practice. “Nobody will stop me and nobody will order me,” he said.

For now, Rehman continues his quest to popularise cricket in Bulgaria. As a testament to his determination, he proudly recounts a crowning moment in the short history of the national team. Rehman formed, taught and trained a team of mainly Bulgarians to compete in a major European tournament. While most of the other countries fielded teams comprised of recruited foreigners scouted for their cricket talent, the Bulgarian team had all but two natives, and all new to the sport. In their division, they finished in sixth place, an amazing achievement even Rehman did not foresee. With such potential, Rehman excitedly anticipates the future as cricket continues to grow in Bulgaria.

For more information on the Bulgarian Cricket Federation or the Cricket Friends programme, visit http://bugaria-cricket.hit.bg