Cricket showcases plight of globe’s street children

CAMBRIDGE: Bangladeshi youngsters singing “We want our rights” was the backdrop to the inaugural Street Child Cricket World Cup, bringing together teams from across the world to raise awareness of the plight of marginalised children.Eight mixed-sex teams competed in the university city of Cambridge over the weekend, with the action moving to the home of cricket at Lord’s for finals day on Tuesday, where India South were crowned champions.But it was difficult even getting the players to Britain for the event, with teams representing countries as far-flung as England, Mauritius and Nepal.Bangladesh’s team leader Forhad Hossain had to go to court to be recognised as the legal guardian of the children so they could obtain passports.Both Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo were no-shows due to the lengthy visa process. The tournament is the brainchild of John Wroe, the CEO and co-founder of Street Child United, a British charity that uses sport to change the negative perceptions and treatment of “street-connected” children. It is the first to be hosted in Britain — there have been three football versions in South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

from The News International - Sports http://bit.ly/2Yi0RP7