Interview with Angus Bell

A psychic intervention from a dead uncle: it’s not the most typical start to a holiday is it? Can you tell us a little more about Uncle Ivor, Cricket and the Ukraine?

It was a Montreal psychic who told me an infant ghost relative was feeding me ideas, and that I'd soon be leaving to work on a travelling media project. "When you're sitting there, and an idea pops into your head from nowhere, and you feel it's something you have to do, it's him putting it there," said the psychic. "In other words, he's living his life through you. That alone is a good idea for a book or a movie."

I checked with my mum. My great-uncle Ivor was the only infant death in the family. I decided I would blame him for every bad decision.

Then, shortly after, the words "cricket" and "Ukraine" popped into my head. It gnawed away at me. I decided to search on Google. After ploughing through several sites about insects in the Crimea, I found a page about a cricket league at the Odesa State Medical University, with 16 teams. I couldn't believe it. A psychic channelling messages from the dead, I could kind of understand, but 16 cricket teams at a former USSR medical university? That was weird, and worth definitely investigating.

Was the book Slogging The Slavs always part of the plan – before you had even found a publisher?

I knew right away that if I found cricket in other pockets of Eastern Europe, I was going there to write a book on it, with or without a publisher. It was too unique a story to pass by. The potential for travel disaster, combined with the sociological phenomenon of an Englishman's game in Eastern Europe, backed by a psychic, made a compelling case.

I was surprised at the enthusiasm of these amateur eastern bloc players – making do with tennis balls wrapped in tape, and oil drums for wickets. That must been heartening – especially after police bribes, visa problems and Romanian dentists.

They were smitten by cricket, despite having never heard of the Australian or English cricket teams. Whole villages came out to play and support. Village mayors drove them to matches. Players got into university because of it. Boys and girls got to date through it. It was touching. All too often cricket is frowned upon because people perceive it as "English" and "boring". In Eastern Europe, where there were no preconceptions, it transformed communities. It was even being used as a vehicle for human trafficking.

What was the scariest cricket match you played?

The scariest moments were between matches - near car collisions, riding the Midnight Express to Istanbul and becoming embroiled in a drugs bust, hiding behind a settee from the KGB, being accused of shoplifting in Hungary, having a Romanian dentist put a dirty needle in my mouth. Fast bowlers looked like pussycats after that.

Would you return to the international stage if Slovenia ever called you up to play for their team? And if cricket ever made it to the 2012 Olympics, which team would you be supporting?

In a flash. I feel, at 26, it's too young to retire from international cricket. However, with these armies of Slavic cricketers coming through, I'm not sure I'd get a place. And there'd be a hell of a wrangle over qualification, having played for so many countries. For the Olympics, I'd have to support Serbia, as reaching The Games has always been their dream. I see it like a Disney film, ending in Olympic glory.

You quote Bill Bryson a couple of times in Slogging the Slavs. What other travel writers have inspired you?

Danny Wallace, Jon Ronson, Rory MacLean, Lawrence Donegan, Tony Hawks, Jonathan Raban, Will Storr, Dave Gorman… there are so many. I prefer travel books about people. I'd rather look at a photograph than wade through pages of heavy river descriptions.

Tell us a little about your next book – rugby in the Latvian snow?

It's called Don't Put Your Tackle In From Behind. It's about unusual rugby in places you'd least expect, like naked rugby in Taiwan. I'm trying to bulk up on tofu for the games.

You’re now living in Montreal and playing cricket in Canada. Does this mean the end of your travels?

Sadly, Quebec and Canada don't have a Ryan Air or an Easyjet. And distances here are enormous. People drive an hour to get cheaper petrol. If I can sell enough copies of Slogging The Slavs, I'll be on the next research trip like a shot.