Eighteen-year-old cricket-lover Lamb has set off on an extraordinary adventure. No small feat considering he’s going to run through 21 countries in just more than 100 days! His audacious but deceptively simple aim is to make it to Adelaide Oval in time for the third Ashes Test. There’s no better time than now as he combines his passion for cricket and love of travel. What pushes her journey is an insatiable thirst for adventure and commitment to the game. Wherever you go, as he puts it, there’s something special just off the beaten path.
Lamb’s travels were sparked by a story from his father about Tony and Maureen Wheeler’s legendary trip in the early 1970s. Intrigued, he resolved to take a gap year after school to experience the world through his own camera lens. That’s why he always brings his lucky cricket bat in his backpack. Beyond supporting these pedagogical objectives, his general goal is to connect with local communities by playing cricket where he travels.
A Challenging Path
Yet, the path forward has certainly not been free of hand-wringing and head-shaking. Just recently, Lamb became seriously injured in a motorcycle accident while touring in Vietnam, resulting in an extended hospital stay. He was involved in a terrible accident. Even still, he was thankful for the care from nurses and doctors while he healed.
Despite his tragedy, Lamb was optimistic and resilient, as he recalled that “I was very well taken care of in the hospital. Though his spirit has not been dampened, his quest for adventurous travel continues.
Lamb’s escapades have taken him to Pakistan’s Balochistan province, a location infamous for its warnings from the Australian government. He’s not discouraged, convinced that whatever he’s encountered will enhance his journey.
“So, on the first day, I only got about halfway into Balochistan and I was in the middle of absolutely nowhere, dropped off in this town,” Lamb recounted.
His story gives listeners a glimpse into his dangerous day-to-day reality. One night, focused on tracking his daily budget, Lamb decided to forgo an expected overnight stop because there were no accommodations available.
“It was about midnight, and they basically said to me, ‘there’s no hotels here. You’re gonna have to stay in the prison cell,’” he said.
Though these difficulties would be dispiriting to many, Lamb is undeterred. He is quick to turn his observations into future success.
Discovering Connections
On his journey thus far, Lamb has played a game of cricket in every country he is traveling through. He feels like this methodology allows him to build relationships with the people on the ground that lead to friendships that break through cultural differences. His love for the game has empowered him to foster impactful experiences on his bike, sometimes with complete strangers, that will last a lifetime.
This is because Lamb, a former cricketer, likes to play cricket every time he stays overnight somewhere new. No matter where he travels, he tries to catch a game. He has survived suspicious glances and inquiries from locals concerned about his unusual and possibly insane mission.
“You get all these people giving you weird looks: ‘What on earth are you asking? What on earth are you doing?’” he said.
These interactions regularly result in kindness and generosity. His most important lesson, he says, is that people everywhere are good and helpful.
“But I always had this belief that … 99 per cent of the people you meet are all nice, no matter where you are in the world,” Lamb explained.
This notion has only been solidified by what he’s seen so far, as he traverses new cultures and environments. Each encounter enriches his quest, showing him that kindness can be found in every nook and cranny of the world.
The Quest Continues
As Lamb makes the long road trip to Adelaide in preparation for the Ashes Test, he has major logistical hurdles to overcome. He is thus now stranded in Singapore. Passively, he is looking for a boat to Indonesia by contacting cargo ship operators and marina owners, hoping to get a ride.
“I’ve emailed every single cargo ship company I can think of, I’ve gone to multiple cargo ship HQs, I’ve gone to marinas, I’ve asked everyone for boats heading towards Australia,” Lamb stated.
This decision shows his focus and resolve to finish his mission in the face of adversity. The young traveler knows that he is ready to greet whatever lies ahead on his journey.
Lamb’s swashbuckling curiosity leaps off the page as he bikes through deserts, hippie communes, war zones and colorful markets. His work and travels have broadened his perspective. They’ve deepened his conviction that experiencing off-the-beaten-path places makes life more rewarding.
“It’d be a great way to get myself off the beaten path and force myself to see different parts of the world that otherwise I wouldn’t go to,” he concluded.
