It may not draw quite the same attraction as ice hockey, but cricket's appeal in Sweden is growin according to one website, thanks to the country's thriving immigrant population. The number of those playing cricket has increased a lot in the last two years – interest has developed," Rashid Zafar Waraich, chairman of the Swedish Cricket Federation (SCF), tells The Local.

Around 98% of the some 250 adults playing cricket in Swedish clubs are ex-pats, many of whom have roots in major cricketing nations, predominantly Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Australia and England, Waraich says.

Some 100 juniors - under 19s - also play. With backing from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the SCF has overseen the establishment of a cricket academy in Malmö where 30 youngsters between the ages of nine and 14 are given the chance to nurture cricketing greatness. A second academy is planned for Stockholm during the 2007 season.