For those from other countries, cricket may have been a favorite pastime in their youth. It may come as a surprise to learn that 2.5 billion people in 180 countries watch or play cricket with the same fervor as others have for their alternate sports. This is a lasting legacy of the British Empire.
For Shafiq Jadavji, also known as “Mr. Cricket” amongst the residents of Johns Creek, Georgia, sports is an important part of life. Shafiq’s passion for cricket began when he was a child. As an eleven-year-old growing up in Pakistan, and an exceptional fielder, he was invited to play cricket with adults.
When he moved to New York as a thirteen-year-old, Shafiq could not find any cricket teams. Determined not to let that deter him, he played a variety of other sports, including baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. However, a passionate cricket player, it wasn’t long before he found a group of people who played the sport. This started Shafiq’s cricket journey in the United States. Soon, he began playing competitively across both North America and England.
Although Mr. Cricket enjoyed the game, he wanted to share his passion with others, regardless of their age, gender, race, or religious beliefs, so he began promoting and organizing the sport among the Ismaili and non-Ismaili communities.
Shafiq founded Southeast Xpress, an Ismaili Cricket Club in Atlanta, as well as A-BOYS, a cricket team in Atlanta for people over 50 years of age. He was also the co-founder of Cricket America, promoting the game amongst the Ismaili community, and the founder and president of Johns Creek Cricket Association, a non-profit organization to promote cricket in the Johns Creek area for everyone, including non-Ismailis.
Shafiq’s accomplishments are many, but a few notable ones include being captain of the USA Cricket Team at the Jubilee Games in Nairobi, Kenya in 2008, as well as in Dubai, UAE, in 2016.
Putting cricket on the map in the United States, specifically the Southeast region, is a great accomplishment for Shafiq. He has worked tirelessly to bring cricket passion and awareness to others, such as Jimmy Hirani, earning him various awards and accomplishments. As a team member, Jimmy remarked, “Shafiq’s ability to empower individuals, to unite and inspire collectively, resulting in the formation of communities within the cricketing world has been the pinnacle of the leadership that not only I have benefited from but others across the globe.” Shafiq has brought together entire communities through cricket.
His proudest moment, however, came in October 2022, when he became the first Ismaili to be inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame, which selects nominees based on either exceptional cricket-playing abilities or for actively advancing the sport. He won this acknowledgement alongside other international players, such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sir Richie Richardson, and Moin Khan.
Even though this cricketer has worked to make a notable impact on the community, Shafiq still has big dreams for the future of cricket in the United States, specifically for the Southeast region; he desires to see his Cricket America team win the gold medal in the Jubilee games. As the president of the Johns Creek Cricket Association, he also aims to raise awareness of cricket and “bring cricket lovers together.” In his own words, he desires to make Johns Creek a “destination city for the sport of cricket in the Southeast.”
Through his zealous love for cricket, Shafiq imparts many life lessons: “be passionate, remain humble, and always STAY HUNGRY”—whether in sports, hobbies, work, or any new talent.
