Welcome to Poços de Caldas, a city of 170,000 souls in the mountains of the southeast, which has become the capital of an unlikely adventure: to make the country of Pelé and Neymar a nation of cricket fans.

Against all odds, Brazil is emulated in this discipline, thanks to its national women's team: since 2020, Brazilian players have been professional.

Brazil is in fact the first country to have a women's team under a pro contract before its men's team.

Most players learned the practice through the 63 programs set up by Cricket Brasil, chaired by former professional player Matt Featherstone, a Briton who married a Brazilian.

"My wife says I'm crazy" to put the Brazilians in cricket, says Featherstone, 51.

But its charisma and the prevailing spirit in the community have made Poços de Caldas "the only city in Brazil where more children play cricket than football", boasts its mayor, Sergio Azevedo.

Cricket to the sound of samba

When Featherstone moved to Brazil in 2000, he tried to promote cricket in private schools, where he soon encountered competition from rugby, hockey or sailing.

And it was in poor neighborhoods where the only option is "soccer or soccer" that he found families were thrilled to have a new offer.

Unlike England, where cricket has traditionally been a sport for upper-class men, "here we have a blank page to write cricketing history as we please," he said.

The Brazilian cricket high performance center in Poços de Caldas, in the state of Minas Gerais, on May 24, 2022 CARL DE SOUZA AFP / Archives

Roberta Moretti Avery, captain of the women's team, recalls the first time she watched cricket on television.

"I didn't understand anything about it, I just saw all these people dressed in white. And it was endless".

Then she realized it looked like a Brazilian street sport called "taco".

Slaves in Brazil are said to have invented the game, after watching Britons who came to build railways in the 19th century play cricket.

They replaced the bats with broomsticks, the wicket with bottles.

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Brazil has brought its soul to cricket.

The women's team trains to funky tunes, samba is played before matches and we prefer noisy celebrations to the ritual of tea with little cucumber sandwiches.

Lindsay Mariano Vilas Boas, Brazilian professional cricketer player trains at the center of Poços de Caldas, May 24, 2022 CARL DE SOUZA AFP / Archives

"The way cricket developed here was really cool. We made it into something cool," said the captain.

Money and sponsors

Poços de Caldas today has more than 5,000 cricketers.

Cricket Brasil is aiming for 30,000 and wants to expand to other cities.

But Brazilian cricket already has its stars.

In October, Laura Cardoso, aged just 16, performed what a sports journalist described as a "miracle": knocking out 5 opponents in the last six shots, allowing Brazil to beat Canada in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. World 2023 (February 9-26) in Twenty20 format.

This had never been seen in women's T20, the shortest high-level game variant.

Cardoso, who is returning from a tour in Dubai, could become one of the best players in the world, assures Matt Featherstone.

"My God, but what did I do to succeed in all this", launches the prodigy who celebrated her 17th birthday, herself amazed at her performance.

The Brazilian women's team is 28th in the T20 standings.

She has won four of the last five South American championships.

Two players from the Brazilian cricket team train at the Poços de Caldas high performance center on May 24, 2022 CARL DE SOUZA AFP/Archives

Victories bring money from the International Cricket Council, but also from sponsors.

Cricket Brasil's annual budget has grown from $5,000 a decade ago to $350,000 and allows the organization to send young talent to college.

Cricket has changed the lives of many people like 20-year-old Lindsay Mariano.

"I didn't even have a passport before," she said on the sidelines of training for the national team's next African tour.

"But thanks to cricket, I have traveled all over the world".

© 2022 AFP