Representation can provide validation and support.
That’s exactly what happened when the sister schools in the West Windsor-Plainsboro District offered cricket as a school-sanctioned sport for the first time last spring. It gave validation and support to the schools’ population with roots in the sport that ranks second in the world in popularity behind only soccer.
Both High School North and High School South had strong turnouts for their first seasons with more than 100 players joining the sport between the schools. Teams were co-ed. They played a schedule that matched them against each other as well as J.P. Stevens and Monroe.
“There were a few kids who were playing professionally. And there were few kids who played in their backyard. So it was a combination of both and it was a great experience,” said North coach Deepali Rokade.
It was designed to be inclusive with the schools playing the shorter T20 version that will be used in the 2028 Olympics, and electing to use a softball rather than the leather ball used in international play. Using the softer ball kept costs down by not forcing students to buy the full protective equipment necessary with the harder ball.
“It’s just a matter of time before cricket becomes very big,” said South coach Edward “Tito” Odumbe. “This is just the beginning, because most of the players who actually play cricket in the U.S. in the youth league did not come because it was softball. They thought they are past that stage. But now that they realize what it is, as much as it was a softball thing, most of them as the games continued and progressed they came and joined the team.”
Cricket came about when the schools polled their students about the possibility of adding sports. They haven’t added anything since fencing in 2006. Students were asked about the emerging sports of flag football and cricket, both of which will be included in the 2028 Olympics. While flag football had little interest, initial sign-up numbers in cricket were close to 200 students.
“We had several students tell us that they were happy to have something that represented them and wear the school colors,” said South athletic director Kate Dobinson.
When registration officially opened, South had 56 students and North had 44 students sign up.
With a good number participants, the next step was leadership, and both schools were fortunate to hire highly qualified coaches to lead their programs.
Odumbe was once named the best upcoming Kenyan player in the early 1980s. He was on the 1996 Kenya team that made its Cricket World Cup debut and took down two-time world champion West Indies. He brought international and professional playing experience and managing experience to South.
“My playing days are gone and I’m semi-retired, so I have all the pleasure I need,” he said. “I’m doing what I like most, playing cricket and teaching it.”
Rokade was captain of the Junior Girls team in India, and the only two-time national champion while playing for her state of Maharashtra. She went on to coach the India U16 boys to silver at the Commonwealth Cricket Series. Coach Deepali also coached Maharashtra U19 girls during 2006 and 2007. In the United States, she previously served on the USA Cricket Women’s Selection Panel, which identified talented players for the U-19 and senior women’s national teams.
“When I moved here, my father told me now you will help that region and you will contribute your knowledge towards USA Cricket,” Rokade said. “So that is what happening right now. I’m happy to be part of this growing stage of USA Cricket.”
Coaching many beginning players was an adjustment for both, but what they found were students eager to play the game and represent their schools. And the new opportunity gave them a more convenient way to learn and grow.
“The convenience is massive and not only that, as a parent, you are more settled when you know your kid is in school rather than just going to an institution elsewhere where you’re not very sure about the safety and everything so there’s a lot,” Odumbe said.
Academies—the equivalent of clubs in other sports—have limited space, he said, and focus on the highest level cricket players. Starting school cricket gave a more egalitarian opportunity and one that was financially considerably easier on families.
The schools saw their veterans and beginners improving through the spring. They learned terminology and all the rules of the game and the proper way to play. It was important for coaches to be patient with the new players.
They had the chance to test their growth in games. The four teams played each other with games between the WW-P teams held at Community Park.
“I feel like they were initially nervous,” Rokade said. “That was very obvious… But they were more excited and when they faced really good teams like Edison and Monroe, they know where they stand and how much they have to work.”
The season culminated with an end-of-season tournament in which WW-P South reached the final before falling to J.P. Stevens. The Pirates would like another chance at Stevens next year.
Said Odumbe: “The final was very competitive as well, and it could have gone either way. The competition was very good.”
The coaches encouraged their players to continue playing outside of school. There is growing momentum for cricket in the United States. The men’s national team advanced to the second round of the ICC World Cup for the first time in June. American cricket fans were inspired after Team USA beat world power Pakistan and narrowly lost to India in group play.
Their advancement to the Super 8 also qualifies them automatically for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The 2028 Olympics are only two years later and will include cricket for the first time.
“When you involve the school cricket, I’m very positive it’s going to spread like anything,” Rokade said, adding that she saw a swelling pride from her team as they season evolved. The season together helped foster more excitement.
While the teams were co-ed this year. If the numbers get large enough, the schools are looking to break them out and continue to expand opportunities for their students.
“Ultimately we’d like to be able to have two teams,” Dobinson said. “It depends on what the schools involved can field. We at High School North and High School South, we did have some JV matches to provide those kids some opportunities. The biggest thing is to grow the league to have more of a matrix to have more games.”
More New Jersey schools are exploring starting cricket teams, and WW-P is getting in on the ground floor for a movement that is gaining traction as an opportunity to validate and support the interest of significant part of their student population. Cricket provides that representation.
“The interest is there,” Odumbe said. “The numbers are there and the management has the zeal and the will to take the game to the next level. I don’t see anything stopping it from growing in the schools.”
“When you watch the game on the TV and when you play in the backyard, it’s very different when you actually start playing professionally or practicing professionally,” Rokade said. “Small things they learned and I think we are on a right path considering it was only the first season. And it was a mix and match. There were few players who already played professional cricket and they’re still playing. So when you combine them together, definitely there are kids that are learning a lot in the season.”
Said Odumbe: “Luckily, most of them do come from a cricketing background, so there’s very little to really teach them because the basics they already knew. They knew what all the basics were all about. It was all about just introducing the game and people following it up and picking it up from there.”
Members of the WW-P High School South cricket team.,
