The Hellenic Cricket Federation is calling for three Greek Australian cricket stars to join them in the Third International School Cricket Premier League in India.

The federation is looking for under 17s to supplement their national team, with the kit and accommodation provided. All the federation asks is for the players to pay for the airfare.

The League championship will be played from December 19 to December 23 and will be a chance for aspiring cricket stars to play professionally.

Cricket Australia’s Nick Hatzoglou will be taking over the Australian selection and hopes that the three Greek Australian boys will be able to complement the Greek team well.

As a country deeply embedded with cricket, the Australian boys will provide a strong competitive edge to the Greek team.

“In order for them to get to the next level, or to keep working up the ranking they [Greece] need more assistance and they know that there are players in places like England, Australia, South Africa, that have Greek heritage, and they’re very keen on tapping into that, but obviously not taking over, just so they can be more competitive, especially when they go and play in countries like India,” Mr Hatzoglou tells Neos Kosmos.

Being able to compete internationally for Australia might be a dream for many aspiring cricket stars, but with limited spots and fierce competition at home, tapping into their dual heritage might be one of the quickest ways for these players to get a taste of international play.

In the history of the code in Australia, there may have only been 400 players to be given the opportunity to play in the elite national team.

“In the past they [the Federation] have gone for more high profile, senior players but it’s very difficult with the qualifications. With the under age groups, they can get these young kids as part of the pathway, and then get them qualified and hopefully they get a taste of it and in the future, if they’re good enough and willing, during the cricket off season here in Australia they can go to Greece and play in these tournaments,” Mr Hatzoglou says.

Being a part of the Greek team is a great way for young players to raise their profile but also keep competing during the off season.

Despite what many people might think, Greece is quite advanced in cricket. It might not have such a high profile, like football, but every day it gets converts.

Brought to Corfu by the British in the early 1800s, cricket has enjoyed a healthy fanbase in the island for more than a century. Initially started when the Greeks became curious watching the Brits play in local parks, soon the sport became less of an oddity and more of a local sport. By 1835, Corfu locals had set up two teams to play against the British, and when the British left the island in 1864 the island continued to play the sport. Corfu currently hosts eleven of the fourteen clubs in the country.

It has since spread, with major teams in Athens and Thessaloniki.

“Now they’ve got a long history of three, four, five generations of playing cricket,” Mr Hatzoglou says.

The sport has even seen quite a bit of a resurgence with many of the new immigrants from Pakistan, India and the Middle East entering the code.

The federation plays in division two in Europe alongside countries such as Spain, Belgium and Finland.

Being a part of the national team will be a great way for Greek Australians to tap into their heritage, even if it now becoming quite a distant relation, Mr Hatzoglou says.

“The wonderful thing from the parents of these kids is that these are third generation kids who can tap into their Greek heritage and traditions and culture,” he says.

“By going to Greece or being connected in that way it helps promote the understanding of a big part of their heritage.”

Trials to enter the Greek team will be organised shortly. Those interested are asked to contact Nick Hatzoglou via email Nick.Hatzoglou@cricket.com.au as soon as possible.