Inspired by his love for cricket, Mohammad Omer launched his own cricket company. Photo: Erin Hee.
Mohammad Omer loved cricket so much that he left Spain to play the sport in Australia, and is now the owner and founder of Crikon, a Wagga-based online store specialising in cricket balls designed to minimise injury.
The gentleman’s game isn’t that popular in continental Europe, which made him pack his bags in search of greener pastures. Mr Omer had the opportunity to move to Canada or England, but fell in love with the warm Australian weather instead.
“I told my family I was there to study, but that was a lie,” he joked.
“We didn’t have much stuff [for cricket] over [in Europe].”
He landed in Sydney in 2014, where he played for different clubs while completing his studies at the Melbourne Institute of Technology’s Sydney campus.
After around eight years, he found himself batting for Wagga in 2022 when he moved here for a job.
He was playing indoor cricket in Wagga when he tore a tendon in his finger trying to catch a ball, which inspired him to manufacture cricket balls with liquid foam inside, rather than cork to give it “a bit more softness”.
Traditionally, cricket balls are made of leather and cork, making them very firm. Crikon balls are made by stitching two pieces of leather together and injecting liquid foam in the centre. Through that process, Mr Omer is able to adjust firmness.
Crikon carries cricket equipment manufactured in Pakistan. Photo: Erin Hee.
“We try to keep the balance between bounce and [firmness], so people don’t get injured but still get the same bounce, the shape retention and all that,” he said.
Crikon also manufactures equipment for outdoor cricket. His company provides a more affordable cricket ball that is still similar to the crowd-favourite Kookaburra balls, which can cost more than $100.
He said people looking to play at higher levels, such as at the state level or in the Big Bash League, who would choose to play with Kookaburra balls, wouldn’t “feel a difference”.
His e-commerce store has been a “tough journey” since 2021. He started out sourcing material from different suppliers, but decided to manufacture his own cricket balls in his own factory in Pakistan, where he was born.
Unwilling to compromise on quality and design, his factory deals with suppliers from all over the world and sources cricket pads from English manufacturers and PU leather products from South Korea and China.
After spending the past two decades playing cricket, Mr Omer feels he is starting to be “too old for cricket”. He had been playing under-19 cricket in Spain before landing in Australia.
“Not really a young guy anymore, so I didn’t want to break my bones out there,” he said.
At the moment, Crikon is an online store that sells cricket equipment and merchandise. Mr Omer is currently focusing on expanding his business to different countries, but has plans to eventually open an offline store in Wagga and carry equipment for other sports such as soccer.
