SOUTHAMPTON: A heart surgeon, a bio-tech professional, a cricket coach and a staff of the national athletics federation of England, amid many more from different walks of life. No. They are not part of the crowd at the World Cup. They are the volunteers.
In bright blue and yellow tracksuits, there are close to 4000 of them on duty at 11 venues for cricket’s marquee event, doing different kinds of jobs. Driving, managing the accreditation centre, helping out scribes at the media centre, offering assistance to photographers by the boundary line and manning the May I Help You booths at the venues on match days --- they are everywhere. ‘Stumped? Here to Help’ written on the back of the uppers, they are doing just that with a smile.
Pankaj Mishra is the heart surgeon in this lot. Hailing from Patna, he has been in England for 16 years. “Doctors are not necessarily boring people,” says the cricket fanatic and occasional player for Sutton Cricket Club in the Lancashire league. He helps out in media management operations for the Lancashire County Cricket Club over the weekends. “If I am doing this on weekdays, I have to inform my employers six weeks in advance. The World Cup is an exciting experience and an opportunity to make new friends.”
That’s how it for most of them in this army of volunteers. The duty involves devoting long hours and by definition, this voluntary service entails to monetary compensation. “Sometimes, it involves spending from your own pocket,” says David Whitcombe, who is from Norwich. A professional in the bio-tech sector, this 56-year-old started doing this from the 2012 London Olympics and has been part of the Tour de France as well as the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
It’s not that anyone who wants to be a volunteer becomes one. Applications were invited more than a year in advance and those selected had to come through a screening process involving interviews. Then there was a training phase. Among those helping them prepare were former England women’s captain Charlotte Edwards and former batsman James Taylor. The length of the training period varied depending on what kind of duty they were assigned.
Being a project manager of England Athletics, Sarah Friday brings to the table her professional experience. “Of course I enjoy cricket as well,” says the Manchester resident. “Old Trafford is my home ground. Other than enjoying the experience, this is an opportunity to contribute to a big event happening here. It’s a good feeling that I am playing a part in the successful conduct of cricket’s biggest event.”
And this being about cricket, how can those actively involved with the game stay away? Arshad Alam is from Pakistan. Other than hosting shows on the game on local TV, he is a Level 2 coach, certified by the England and Wales Cricket Board. He is helping the media at Old Trafford. “They are doing an important job. As a consumer of cricket news, I realise that. And as a cricket fan, if I can help them do their job, what’s better than that?”
This is a job with no bar on age, sex, race or country of origin. Well, not exactly a ‘job’ taking into the voluntary part. But then, without these “Cricketeers” as they are being called, the World Cup might have been a lesser experience. Other than those in the media boxes, thousands in the stands would testify to that.