With an immersive script from award-winning playwright maatin, Duck is a vibrant look into British-Indian cricket culture with a serious undertone. From the first moment of the play, Qasim Mahmood gives an engaging one-man performance, telling us the story of teenage Ismail as he tries to achieve his schoolyard cricketing dreams despite difficult coaches, stage fright and bothersome bat misfortune.

As two referees narrate his life, we follow Ismail through the trials and tribulations of school, turning 15 and navigating the world of sport. Encountering micro-aggressions and his own self-doubt, Ismail’s reactions are energetic, funny and typical of his age. That is, until he becomes the target of stereotyping and faces a sad and dangerous reality. As England flags painted on faces appear behind him, we are nudged into thinking more seriously about the British-Asian experience and the generational societal boundaries placed on groups of people in the UK.

Sports enthusiast or not, this play will educate you on more than just the cricket. Creating a charismatic, watchable work while delivering a sensitive look into experiences of race, religion and identity is seriously impressive, especially when dealing with a minimal stage set-up. Yet, somehow, Duck manages with ease. 

Duck, Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 August, 3.40pm; main picture: Isha Shah.