The six-a-side games, played with a taped tennis ball, take place from 10pm to midnight every Tuesday and Thursday at the Edgbaston Cricket Centre
Warwickshire County Cricket Club celebrated the return of the Ramadan Midnight Cricket League when Edgbaston staged an Iftar that brought together local cricketers, coaches and club staff to enjoy the community spirit of Ramadan before the cricket got underway.
The Ramadan Midnight Cricket League was developed through the Warwickshire Cricket Board's (WCB) Chance to Shine Street Programme in 2021 with free sessions for 16–24-year-olds.
The six-a-side games, played with a taped tennis ball, take place from 10pm to midnight every Tuesday and Thursday at the Edgbaston Cricket Centre.
The sessions will run over three weeks until Eid al-Fitr, which will be celebrated at Edgbaston with prayers for 2,000 worshippers planned to be staged on the colts (training) ground through a community partnership with Green Lane Masjid.
Warwickshire CCC chief executive Stuart Cain said: "The youngsters at the session had been fasting for around 16 hours, so playing the game during normal daytime hours isn't possible. But they are so passionate about the game, we wanted to create a safe space for them to enjoy the game after Iftar.
Warwickshire batter Chris Benjamin was in attendance on behalf of the club (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
"We have extended the opening times of the Edgbaston Cricket Centre to midnight, invested in local coaches to deliver the sessions and provide travel to and from players' homes.
"We are constantly striving to make cricket and Edgbaston as accessible to everyone as possible, so we need to think differently about the programmes that we run.
"The Ramadan Midnight League is a great example of this, and it has been great to build on last year's launch. We plan to make it even bigger each year."
The recent session saw Cain and several other staff take part in a day of fasting before breaking it together with food at the Edgbaston Cricket Centre.
Birmingham Phoenix and England star Moeen Ali gave a special video message to all players from the Indian Premier League and Birmingham Phoenix and Bears batter-wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin was present on the night.
The project has been developed by WCB community cricket development manager Eaton Gordon. It is seen as a pilot for a potential adult tournament to take place at Edgbaston and also clubs around the region in future years.
"It's fantastic to bring together so many young cricketers to enjoy competitive cricket at the Edgbaston Cricket Centre during such an important time in the Muslim calendar," said Gordon.
"There is potential to grow this programme year-on-year and to replicate similar cricketing opportunities that cricket fans experience during Ramadan in many parts of the world.
"Understanding how we can help the communities we serve in Birmingham and further afield is crucial. Hopefully, once Covid restrictions are lifted we can extend this to an adult league as well."
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