Bowling over Pyongyang: How a Chinese club brought cricket to North Korea



Features Bowling over Pyongyang: How a Chinese club brought cricket to North Korea A wild idea over drinks led group of Commonwealth expats to bring Golden Ducks, cucumber sandwiches and more to the DPRK Shreyas Reddy May 25, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON An illustration of a cricket match in a North Korean park Cricket is one of the world’s oldest and most popular sports — but also one of the most niche. The “gentleman’s game” is played almost exclusively in countries that made up the former British Empire. Complex rules make it daunting to understand for the uninitiated. Traditionally it was a pastime of the elite. All of these factors have conspired against cricket gaining popularity in North Korea, a country fiercely opposed to external influences and famous for its militant denunciations of colonialism and its vestiges. Cricket is one of the world’s oldest and most popular sports — but also one of the most niche. The “gentleman’s game” is played almost exclusively in countries that made up the former British Empire. Complex rules make it daunting to understand for the uninitiated. Traditionally it was a pastime of the elite. All of these factors have conspired against cricket gaining popularity in North Korea, a country fiercely opposed to external influences and famous for its militant denunciations of colonialism and its vestiges. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Features

Bowling over Pyongyang: How a Chinese club brought cricket to North Korea

A wild idea over drinks led group of Commonwealth expats to bring Golden Ducks, cucumber sandwiches and more to the DPRK

Shreyas Reddy May 25, 2023

Bowling over Pyongyang: How a Chinese club brought cricket to North Korea

An illustration of a cricket match in a North Korean park

Cricket is one of the world’s oldest and most popular sports — but also one of the most niche. The “gentleman’s game” is played almost exclusively in countries that made up the former British Empire. Complex rules make it daunting to understand for the uninitiated. Traditionally it was a pastime of the elite.

All of these factors have conspired against cricket gaining popularity in North Korea, a country fiercely opposed to external influences and famous for its militant denunciations of colonialism and its vestiges.

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