Cricketers set Kilimanjaro record








Cricketers play on 26 September  2014 in a crater of Mt Kilimanjaro in TanzaniaBreathing and running is difficult at such a high altitude


A group of international cricketers in Tanzania has set a new world record for the highest-ever match by playing at the top Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.

The teams included South Africa’s former fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and former English spinner Ashley Giles.

The game was played at a height of 5,730m (18,799 ft) in a flat crater just below the summit.

They played 10 overs each of a Twenty20 game before clouds stopped play.


Cricketers play on 26 September  2014 in a crater of Mt Kilimanjaro in TanzaniaThe air was freezing as the teams played 10 overs each in the crater of the extinct volcano

“This is absolutely incredible! We are playing cricket on the summit of Africa!” Giles tweeted on Friday morning.

The current record for the world’s highest game is 5,165m, played in the Himalayas at Everest base camp in Nepal in 2009.

The final score was 82 for 5 for the “Gorillas” team led by England women’s vice-captain Heather Knight beating the 64 for 9 scored by Giles’ “Rhinos” team, the AFP news agency reports.


England women national cricket team vice-captain Heather Knight raises her arms on the second day of a trek up to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - 21 September 2014Heather Knight’s team ultimately claimed victory