World class cricket field set to adorn Microsoft’s redesigned Washington campus

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella credits cricket for his leadership skills.

Microsoft's Redmond campus

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s India born CEO has decided to pay homage to his strong connection to India and his love for cricket, with a world class cricket field in plans on Microsoft’s newest overhauling of its 500 acre campus in Redmond, Washington, US.

Microsoft will redesign its 500 acre campus starting 2018, with 18 new buildings, public spaces, transportation and a cricket field on the campus as well.

Cricket players working at Microsoft have had to use baseball and soccer fields to play cricket for many years, but now, they will have their own space to practice their sport in 2018.

"But in a few years, they will have their own field of dreams -- an oval, wicket and stumps that reflect the growing influence of employees from the cricket-mad nations of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, West Indies, South Africa and England," Greg Shaw, Senior Director in the Office of the CEO at Microsoft, wrote in a post on LinkedIn.

The designs of the new estate campus at Microsoft reveal an oval cricket field next to a soccer field.

"This may be the first proper, recreational cricket ground ever designed and built as part of a major corporate or community project in the United States. Wikipedia shows less than a handful of cricket grounds west of the Mississippi, and the few that do exist are in the ancestral American cricket homelands of Philadelphia and New York," Shaw wrote.

The current plans envisions about 250-feet by over 320-feet for a cricket space, but there is also room to expand and the field will be built where the Microsoft buildings 5 and 6 currently stand.

"The team is speaking with cricket experts to get it just right. In that location, a well-struck ball -- a six as they call it in cricket -- could crash into Lake Bill, named for founder Bill Gates," Shaw mentioned.

Satya Nadella and Anil Kumble

In his newly-launched book "Hit Refresh," Nadella wrote: "No matter where I am, this beautiful game is always in the back of my mind. The joy, the memories, the drama, the complexities, and the ups and downs - the infinite possibilities". "…On those fields, I learned a lot about myself - succeeding and failing as a bowler, a batsman, and a fielder. Even today I catch myself reflecting on the nuances within the cricket rulebook and the inherent grace of a team of eleven working together as one unit.

Nadella recently shared stage with former India captain Anil Kumble and during a discussion on his book, credited cricket for inculcating leadership qualities and values in him during his formative years in India. He said that it taught him to fight vigorously in face of difficulties and putting the team first and bringing out the best in others.

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 11 Dec, 2017

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