Cricket mounts greater heights with world record match at Mount Kilimanjaro
A few former and current international cricketers among others set a new world record on Friday for the highest ever cricket match by playing just below the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.
The two teams, which included the likes of former England spinner Ashley Giles and Makhaya Ntini, South Africa’s first ever black Test cricketer, reached the top of Africa before sunrise after trekking for 7 days and played 10 overs each of a Twenty20 (T20) game before conditions prevented further play.
The game was played at 5,730 metres (18,910 feet) just below the dormant volcano’s 5,895-metre summit, an AFP correspondent reported. The previous world record for the highest cricket match was when British cricketers played at 5,165 metres on a Mt Everest base camp in 2009.
Struggling with the conditions
"It was such hard work breathing and running at this altitude, but something like this only happens once in a lifetime," said participant and cricket fan Steven Smith, who was dismissed for a duck.
Smith, despite his extremely short stay at the crease, continued: "It was great fun, worth coming all this way even if I didn't stay long in the crease."
The summit of Kilimanjaro has half the level of oxygen than land at sea level, which means that the participants needed double the energy and goes to show the enormity of the task that was at hand. They also ran the threat of succumbing to severe mountain sickness and could have also had a swelling in their lungs or brain as a result of liquid seeping in.
All the cricketing equipment - including a plastic track, stumps, bats, pads and plenty of balls - were carried by Tanzanian porters during the 7-day trek, and qualified umpires were also accompanying the players in order to ensure that the game had official status and was eligible for the record.
The Gorillas, led by England woman cricketer Heather Knight, batted first and made 82/5 from their 10 overs. In reply, Giles-led Rhinos managed only a score of 64/9, thereby giving the Gorillas victory.
"It was tough running between the wickets but it was easy bowling Ashley Giles out. Fully worth coming all this way, with such an amazing feeling getting to the top, and - I hope - breaking a world record," Knight, who top scored with 20, told AFP.
This game, in all probability, will count as a world record as a minimum of five overs per side constitutes a match as per T20 rules currently.
All for a cause
Mukuru Mugapablo, a Tanzanian mountain guide, one of a few onlookers, expressed his amazement at what he had witnessed after the match.
"I've seen football played on strange pitches, but nothing, nothing beats this game for madness. Altitude up here is a serious issue, people really do get sick... this is a crazy thing to have witnessed on top of Kilimanjaro," he said.
Players, through the match, were raising funds for cancer research, endangered African wildlife and in order to build an international standard cricket stadium in war affected Rwanda.