Romanian cricketer Pavel Florin to debut for Melbourne’s Surrey Hills Cricket Club on Sunday
An 11th-hour reprieve from the Department of Home Affairs means Pavel Florin will be free to play at Surrey Hills Cricket Club today.
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Romanian internet sensation Pavel Florin will line up at Surrey Park on Sunday after an 11th-hour reprieve from the Department of Home Affairs.
After having visa applications knocked back twice in the past week, Florin will be jetting his way down under after receiving the official go ahead late last night.
Malcolm Campbell, Surrey Hills Cricket Club president, said he was thrilled after receiving the good news in the wee small hours overnight.
The club had spent a number of months planning Florin’s visit after inviting him mid-year.
“He received an email late last night with a visa attached,” Campbell said. “He hadn’t spoken to the department or the club since it was knocked back earlier this week.
“He rang me at midnight last night and said ‘things have changed’.
“So I booked him a ticket straight away.”
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Florin will now live the whirlwind life of an international cricketer. Scarcely have his feet touched the arrival lounge at Tullamarine than he will be padding-up for a hit at Surrey Park on Sunday.
“He will arrive tonight (Friday) and play on Sunday, which was the planned day for our celebration,”Campbell said. “We haven’t done too much marketing for it because it was in doubt.
“It will be an exhibition game where he will be the guest of honour. He’ll play with some of our juniors.”
Florin will also play for the club on Saturday and Sunday next weekend.
The late reversal came just days after the club thought it would have to cancel the visit.
Campbell said the club applied for a visa about five weeks ago and received a request for extra information. The application was then knocked back
Surrey reapplied but was again denied on Tuesday.
“That kicked off a lot of angst on social media,” he said.
Florin, a40-year-old full-time bodyguard and part-time slow bowler, melted the internet in July when footage was posted of him playing in a European Cricket League game for his club, Cluj, against French side Dreux.
While his awkward bowling action and invitingly-flighted lobs may have caused purists to flinch, the cricket world took him to their hearts when he spoke passionately about his love for cricket in a country more renowned for gymnastics, soccer and one very famous resident of Transylvania.
“Maybe someone will say my bowling is not beautiful or not effective,” he said when interviewed at the time. “But I don’t care because I love cricket. Is not beautiful I know, everybody says, but I am a slow bowler is there a problem with this? I think no.”
His passion struck a chord with cricket lovers around the world, including Campbell and the Surrey Hills Cricket Club.
“I just picked up the phone,” Campbell said when originally announcing the visit. “I just loved that attitude and it just matched our attitude and his words just resonated with me
“We’ll invite all of the Romanian community. It’s probably not a community that’s engaged in cricket. We’ll try and raise some money for cricket in Romania and maybe start a sister relationship with the club and maybe, one day, we can go over there and play.”
What: Pavel Florin plays with Surrey Hills
When: Sunday, November 17
Where: Surrey Park, cnr Elgar Rd and Canterbury Rd, Box Hill
What time: 12.30 start