It’s early evening in Grange Gardens, a time and place of tranquility for those unwinding after a long day. If only for a moment, the dominant sounds are birds singing, trees rustling in the breeze and the faint, excited chatter of those using the playground.
Suddenly, the peace is disturbed. First, it's by the unmistakable thud of rubber on plastic and then by a unanimous roar of approval as a tennis ball soars out of the grounds of the newly opened pavilion at one end of the park.
It has been dispatched by Australian cricketer Marnus Labuschagne, who also happens to be the number one test batsman in the world. However, this is a fact that doesn’t seem to faze the huddle of schoolchildren lining up on the pavilion lawn to try and bowl him out.
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The Ashes winner is there as part of an event held by his new club, Glamorgan, to not only mark the start of their T20 Blast campaign, but to strengthen their relationship with Asian communities across Wales and get more children from areas like Grangetown hooked on cricket.
While Marnus is the headline act at Grange Pavilion, however, those at the event looking for a role model need look no further than two of Grangetown’s own. Prem Sisodiya, a left-arm spinner for Glamorgan, and the club’s new Diversity Champion and Talent Scout, Mojeid ‘Muji’ Ilyas, both grew up in the area before rising through the ranks to join the first-class club.
In Muji’s case, his route into cricket began just yards from where he is standing today. Get the latest news from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletters.
"It all started just over there," he said, pointing out of the pavilion towards the 3G pitch opposite. "Originally I played football a lot, but my brother and his friends played cricket and got me into it. We played tape ball cricket, which is massive in South Asian culture. So really, I grew up playing cricket. We used to play for like five or six hours a day, and it was my dream to one day make it as a professional cricketer." You can read more stories about Cardiff here.
Having learnt the basics in Grange Gardens, Muji joined Welsh Asians Cricket Club, now known as Llandaff Cricket Club, before representing sides including Cardiff Cricket Club, Wales Minor Counties and Glamorgan's academy and 2nd XI. He also played for Cricket Wales at age group level, before becoming more involved in scouting and diversity work.
Muji made history when he joined Glamorgan's academy as he became the first Cardiff-born cricketer of South Asian descent to join, alongside Prem, another star who has close ties to Grangetown. Having moved to the area with his family at the age of four, Prem still lives there now and is often his club's main representative at community events such as these.
"I've lived here since I was a child and have even bought a house in the same estate as my parents," he said. "I went to Ninian Park primary school and joined Cardiff Cricket Club aged seven, so I’ve always been around Grangetown. It’s a special community and it’s great to still be able to be in touch with it in this way and be here at events like these," said Prem.
"I played a little bit in primary school, with a plastic bat. My dad was properly into his cricket, he was born in India where it is hugely popular so it’s always been in the family. I picked it up quite naturally as a youngster, played in some tournaments at school and it went from there really."
The issue of diversity in cricket hit headlines again last year after former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq alleged he was the victim of institutional racism, which he said was rife in the sport. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport then published a report, warning that racism in cricket was "deep-seated" and calling on the England and Wales Cricket Board to do more to tackle discrimination.
A five-point action plan was then developed by the ECB, with clubs like Glamorgan working to improve the number of BAME players making it into the professional game. To achieve this, helping to create interest in the sport in areas like Grangetown, the most ethnically diverse ward in Wales, is crucial.
Muji is a man on a mission to break down barriers to participation. Working as both Glamorgan's Diversity Champion and Talent Scout and Cricket Wales' Diverse Communities Cricket Development Officer, he has helped promote a number of initiatives within local communities, such as interfaith cricket, asylum-seeker and refugee cricket and women’s and girls’ cricket.
Inspired by his childhood, he also recently launched Glamorgan Cricket and Cricket Wales' Ramadan Tapeball League, with late-night sessions allowing Muslims observing Ramadan the opportunity to play cricket. While he admits he was fortunate with the opportunities made available to him growing up, Muji knows that getting into the game is something that presents challenges for many.
"We want to make cricket as accessible as possible to people of all backgrounds," he said. "This is not just based on race, this is also people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. We want to reduce the cost of cricket and are working with people from different backgrounds, race, religions, gender to make the game as inclusive as possible.
"I was lucky to have a family that worked really hard to give me the opportunities I had in becoming a professional cricketer, which I’m very grateful for. But there are obviously challenges in the game, both high up and at entry points, such as paying for coaching sessions and kit and things like that.
"Helping to reduce the cost of the game is a big priority for us. That's why coming to events like these is so important, I also have people telling me they want to get their kids into cricket and days like these are crucial in helping raise awareness in communities like Grangetown."
Prem added: "I wasn’t lacking opportunities growing up, but there are a lot more now, with events like these and spaces like the Pavilion and other facilities, they’ve got a place to come and relax and play and pick up a new sport too.
"It’s an honour to be someone that these kids can look up to now, which I didn't really have when I was younger. Hopefully now these kids have the chance to follow in our footsteps a little bit. It’s fantastic to be able to give something back."
The smiles on the faces of the youngsters at Grange Gardens prove that events like this are definitely helping to promote the sport in a meaningful way. But what more should be done? For Muji, improving facilities is key.
"When I was a kid, cricket was what football is today, everybody was playing it," he said. "And after the Champions’ League final in 2017, that football pitch over there was installed and that has made the number of people playing football go through the roof. Think if we had similar cricket facilities or at least a strip of Astroturf and a wicket, you would see a massive, massive rise in the number of kids playing the sport. Half of these kids don’t even know who Marnus is, but they’re buzzing that he’s here, just from his name.
"So much can be done, especially places like Grange Gardens," he added. "At seven o'clock every morning there are kids playing football here before school, and that could be the same for cricket too. If we had proper facilities here, it could be the start of something massive."
