Traditional Ghanaian game

Chaskele

Chaskele (Ga street game)

Ghana’s street cricket — a stick, a crate, and serious bragging rights.

Players: 2+ players (teams of 2–5)Ages: Ages 8+Where: Outdoors · stick + crushed can or small crateTime: 20–40 minutes

Playable now

Play Chaskele here — time your swing

You 0/0(0 balls)1st innings0/0 Cmp(0)

6 balls, 2 outs — time your swing as the crate reaches you!

BowlerYou

Swing as the crate enters the green — gold sliver is 6!

0W · 0L · 0D · best innings 0

Chaskele is the classic street game of Accra’s Ga neighbourhoods — part cricket, part baseball, played with a stick for a bat and a crushed tin or small wooden crate as the “ball”. One player tosses, the other strikes, and fielders scramble.

It is loud, fast, and fiercely competitive, with neighbourhood teams defending the honour of their street. All it costs is a stick and something to hit.

The rules

1One team bats, the other fields. The batter stands by a base marker with the stick.
2The bowler tosses the crate/can underarm toward the batter.
3The batter strikes it as far as possible, then runs between agreed bases to score.
4Fielders catch the struck object in the air to dismiss the batter, or retrieve it quickly to limit runs.
5Each batter gets an agreed number of strikes or outs before swapping.
6Most runs after each side has batted wins the game.

How to play & win

1Mark two bases with stones or sandals, about 10–15 paces apart.
2Batting stance: side-on, stick low, eyes on the bowler’s hand.
3Bowlers: vary the toss — high lobs are easy to smash but easy to catch.
4Fielders: spread deep; a clean catch is the glory dismissal.
5Batters: placement beats power — gaps between fielders score more reliably than moonshots.
6Agree the rules before starting (caught out? how many balls?) — street cricket lives or dies on agreed rules.

The cultural story

Born in the densely packed Ga quarters of Accra — Chorkor, Bukom, Jamestown — chaskele is inseparable from the boxing and football culture of those neighbourhoods. It is where many Ghanaian sports stars first learned hand-eye coordination, and weekend street matches still stop traffic.

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Chaskele FAQs

How do you play Chaskele?

A bowler tosses a crushed tin or small crate underarm; the batter strikes it with a stick and runs between bases to score. Fielders catch it in the air to dismiss the batter. Most runs wins.

What equipment does Chaskele need?

A stick for a bat, a crushed tin or small wooden crate as the ball, and two base markers such as stones or sandals.

Where is Chaskele played?

It was born in the Ga quarters of Accra — Chorkor, Bukom and Jamestown — and remains a street staple there.