Swiss resort St Moritz to host ‘Cricket on Ice’ this month

Swiss resort St Moritz to host ‘Cricket on Ice’ this month

The picturesque Swiss resort of St Moritz is famous for the beauty of its ski slopes and the Adrenalin rush of the Cresta Run. But for sheer quirkiness, few sport events can beat the February cricket festival on the ice and snow on the frozen lake.  St Moritz, Engadin, is all set to host  the Cricket on Ice Trophy on its frozen lake once again this year from 23rd – 25th February. Incepted in 1988, Cricket on Ice was the brainchild of a few British enthusiasts who challenged the students of the international boarding school Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz to a match. Ever since, the cricket festival on a frozen lake has been attracting international players and participants from all over the world. On Lake St. Moritz, the game of cricket is played a little differently. Instead of whites, the players wear warm tracksuits. The ball is made of hard rubber, because traditional leather would become wet, heavy and unpredictable on the snow. The pitch is artificial grass on an oval-shaped cricket ground. The game consists of twenty overs per inning; bowlers are limited to four overs. As the sport offers a different setting, it also demands a considerable amount of skill and agility from the players. The cricket played is a competitive, but amateur, level and depends a lot on fairness and the spirit of friendship between the teams.