Srinivasa Vadlamudi can't wait to hear about Morrisville's plans for 20 acres of sports fields. Town officials, now planning a new park, are asking citizens what amenities they would like in the space. Vadlamudi hopes a cricket pitch is part of the final decision.

As captain of the Triangle Cricket Club, Vadlamudi plays in the adult Triangle Cricket League and also coaches in the youth league. He hopes to share his love of the sport with Triangle children whose parents may have grown up in places such as India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka, or even families hearing about cricket for the first time.

Q: You grew up in India. How did you end up in the Triangle?

A: We were living in Boston, and I played cricket there. We moved here in April 2006 for my job at IBM as a software engineer.

Q: When did you start playing cricket, and what about the sport connects with you?

A: Cricket is one of the major sports in India. Just like baseball and American football here, we grow up playing cricket. I started at age 9 or 10 and kept playing.

I like that, with cricket, it is easy to find a park where you can play. Also, unlike sports where you play one-on-one, cricket is played in teams of 11 people; with substitutes, there can be up to 14 players. It includes many people, and there is good camaraderie. Cricket also involves a lot of strategy while scoring and defending runs. At the end of the day, you get a good physical workout.

Q: Tell me about playing cricket and the cricket season.

A: Like in baseball, I am a catcher, or a "wicket keeper." We play cricket on a pitch, which is a rectangular, level field. At each end, there are three wooden stumps, or wickets. As catcher, I stand behind the wickets. There is a strategy to scoring runs.

As far as the season, we have our annual general meeting on Jan. 28, then we start the preseason games at the end of March. We play until the end of October, so it's a long season.

Q: Is it difficult to play through a very hot summer?

A: India is very tropical and hotter than here, so I like that on a hot day, you feel like you get a good workout. Here, today, we have quality sunscreens and good beverages like Gatorade. In India when I was growing up, all we had was water. As I get older, I realize that I have to take better care of myself to play the game.

Q: Why did you decide to coach a team in the youth league?

A: I wanted to coach because I am 38 now, and I want to teach younger people about it so they can enjoy the game. I have two daughters, ages 8 and 5, and my 8-year-old played in the league last season (the youth leagues are co-ed).

The first year we offered a youth league, we had 45 kids take part in the eight-week summer league. Last year, we had spring, summer and fall sessions, and there were 120 kids who took part. I feel quite proud of how the sport grew.

I think it brings the nationalities together - it is very diverse.