Tauseef Ahmad
After fresh snowfall in the Kashmir valley, outdoor sports came to a halt, but not in the border valley of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. There, a unique way of playing cricket on frozen tracks has attracted many tourists to the valley in the winter months.
The valley is typically cut off from the rest of the world for six months of the year, but this year the road has not yet been closed permanently. Last year, international cricketers reacted to the unique way of playing cricket on frozen tracks. Australian batting star Marnus Labuschagne, who plays for the national team and domestically for Queensland, shared a video of young boys playing cricket on snow at Bagtore with the caption “how good is this.”
Pakistani actor, TV host, and singer Fakhar-e-Alam also shared a video of a cricket match played on a frozen track in Bandipora’s Gurez valley and wrote, “I wanna play cricket here with these guys… this looks so much fun.”
Every year, a tennis cricket tournament is organized on a frozen track after snowfall by the Barnoi Kangaroos cricket club in the Barnoi Tulail ground.
Eight teams from different villages in Tulail participate, braving freezing cold and snow. Local resident Mohd Niyaz said, “The aim of organizing such tournaments is to promote winter tourism in Gurez valley.”
