After evolving from Tests to one-dayers and Twenty20, cricket is now going to be on a new high — Mount Everest.
Three British teams of professional and amateur players are heading for the base camp of the world’s highest peak to play a tournament and set the record for taking cricket to a new height.
The playground is the frozen Gorak Shep Glacier at a height of 5,184 m (17,000 ft) above sea level, with blistering winds and a temperature that can dip lower than minus 10 degrees Celsius.
The Everest summit is at 8,848 m, jutting out of what is known as the Death Zone — the region above 8,000 m where even breathing becomes an arduous battle due to the lack of oxygen in the air.
Organised by the Professional Cricketers’ Association, the Everest matches will see some modifications. Each team has six players and the matches will be for five overs each. The game is being played to raise funds for cricketers.
