S African Indian historians launch cricket museum

A cricket museum spearheaded by three South African Indian-origin historians, showcasing an array of literature, artefacts and memorabilia spanning over 100 years including during the apartheid era, has opened here.
The KwaZulu Natal Cricket Union (KZNCU) Museum was the dream project of historians Krish Reddy, Goolam Vahed and Professor Ashwin Desai, all of them also passionately involved in cricket administration in the country.
The museum in the KwaZulu-Natal province, home to about two thirds of South Africa's 1.4 million Indian-origin citizens, boasts of an array of literature, artefacts and memorabilia relating to cricket dating back to the early 1900's.
Until 1990, cricket, like all other sports in the country, was segregated on racial lines by apartheid-era legislation.

Cricketers other than those from the white community, the only race that featured in international sides, were never considered for South Africa's national team.
A lot of the material for the museum at the Kingsmead Stadium here was also garnered from descendants of the first settlers from India who first arrived in the city as indentured labourers for the sugarcane fields.

Soon Indian-origin people had formed theirlocal and provincial sides and they even hosted teams from India but could not play internationals recognised by the cricketing authority.
Separate Indian, African and Coloured (mixed race) unions were united under one banner with the establishment of the United Cricket Board in 1991 after the release of Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid.

"It's important to celebrate our rich cricketing heritage and to preserve this for future generations," said Cricket South Africa (CSA) Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat at the launch of the Museum during the first Test against visiting England.
"We have a diverse cricket history and culture and the opening of the museum at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead will allow cricket fans to learn and share in this rich knowledge.
"I must acknowledge Krish Reddy for having himself preserved so much valuable memorabilia over many years and congratulate the KZNCU for having established the museum so smartly. I now look forward to the other centres following this lead," Lorgat said.