Walking through Chicago’s streets late at night guarantees a few assurances. Night owls stopping at corner vendors for a Chicago dog; that all beef frankfurter sprinkled with chopped onions and sweet pickle relish flavored with pickled sport peppers and wrapped in a breathtaking poppy seed bun. Folks are popping into Portillo’s or Lou Malnati’s for authentic Chicago deep dish pizza.
For entertainment, nightcrawlers catch the biggest names in stand-up at Zanies or the next big thing in improv at the world famous Second City. Muddy Waters – with ties to Son House, Howlin’ Wolf and even Robert Johnson himself – invented the electric blues here. Those with impeccable taste stop into Buddy Guy’s Legends to hear it.
The Chicago “L” rumbles through the streets from above. Newspapers, bottles, and cans decorate the streets. Don’t call it litter; it’s urban forestry. But one thing no one expects is a midnight cricket match.
CASO Cricket off the 290 Loop
Take the 90 (or the 290 loop) from downtown Chicago and you’ll find yourself in Schaumburg, Illinois – just about 30 miles outside of the City’s center. Schaumburg is home to the Legoland Discovery Center as well as the 110,000 square-foot, all-indoor Schaumburg Sport Center on Irving Park Road.
The facility boasts four basketball courts, a gymnastic center, six volleyball courts and two indoor soccer fields where the CASO Cricket League plays its late-night tape ball cricket games. The tape ball is a product concocted in Karachi, Pakistan. A tennis ball is layered several times over with white electrical tape to eliminate the ball’s fuzzy felt and it generates a smooth surface that makes for an impeccable bounce. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the tape ball.
CASO Cricket provides the Windy City with yearlong, 52-week cricket. And in the coldest month of the year – where average lows are 17 degrees and the record is holding strong at -21 – CASO Cricket regularly schedules its games at 10pm, 11:15pm and well into the midnight hour.
CASO also streams them live on its social media platforms. In fact, the TikTok account team.caso is an online sensation with over 72,000 followers, 1.7 million likes, and video views in the multi-millions. The CASO Cricket League is not just Chicagoland’s best kept late-night secret; it’s a Convention City mainstay.
CASO Cricket in the Community
In America’s heartland, where baseball diamonds and football fields have long reigned supreme, the Chicago-based CASO Cricket League has emerged as a vibrant testament to cricket’s growing foothold in the United States. With over 125 teams competing year-round, CASO is now the largest cricket league in the Midwest, offering a platform for both seasoned players and aspiring youth to hone their skills and compete at high levels.
The league collaborates with local schools, park districts, and national cricket organizations to build infrastructure and promote the sport across Chicago and its suburbs. More than just a competition, CASO represents a cultural bridge, connecting immigrant communities—particularly those from South Asia—with the broader American sporting landscape.
What is Tape-Ball Cricket?
At the grassroots level, tape-ball cricket has become a cultural phenomenon, especially in South Asian communities. Originating in the streets of Karachi in the 1960s, this improvisational form of cricket uses a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape, allowing for safe, fast-paced play in urban environments . The taped ball mimics the swing and bounce of a traditional cricket ball but eliminates the need for expensive gear or formal pitches.
This accessibility has made tape-ball cricket a breeding ground for talent, with legends like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis honing their skills in such settings . Beyond skill development, tape-ball cricket fosters community engagement, providing a platform for youth from diverse backgrounds to connect, compete, and cultivate a shared passion for the game.
As cricket’s popularity surges in the U.S., tape-ball cricket serves as both an entry point and a cultural touchstone for many. Its informal nature and minimal equipment requirements make it an ideal sport for urban settings, promoting inclusiveness and community participation. Organizations like the Last Man Stands DEI Foundation recognize its potential to engage equity-deserving groups, including women and newcomers, offering a less intimidating introduction to the sport .
In cities like Chicago, where cricket is gaining momentum, tape-ball cricket not only preserves cultural heritage but also paves the way for broader acceptance and integration of the sport into the American athletic fabric.
CASO Cricket – A Chicago Experience
Indoor cricket (as we understand it today) took shape alongside the boxy, earth tone decor and metallic Hi-Fi stereos of the late 1970s and early 80s. Traditionally, indoor cricket consists of eight players a side and scoring include not just physical runs, and bonus runs but also extras and penalty-minus runs. Some formats include the 3 Dot Balls rule or the Jackpot Ball Rule.
However, The CASO Cricket Big Bash T10 is a standard indoor tape ball league where fans can catch live streams and highlights on all social media platforms. A true Chicago experience is walking through the narrow aisles and shops of Chinatown late at night then stopping in from the icy cold for moon cakes; all while streaming a midnight tape ball CASO cricket match live from Schaumburg Sport Center.
Follow CASO Cricket League on:
Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | and TikTok.
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