Pride of the Nation: Blind Cricket Team

Pakistan’s Blind Cricket Team was started in 1997 and has since then achieved many victories. Unfortunately, barely any attention is given to their achievements. With many wondering how the team executes their plays, that is what this article is here to explain.

First and foremost, let’s clear how the game works. There are upto 11 players in the team that are separated into three categories. B1 (4 players who are totally blind), B2 (three partially blind players), and B3 (four partially sighted players). Many techniques are used such as an auditory ball filled with ball bearings which gets the players to rely on their hearing. The way the players bat and bowl is also quite different, with the batters using the “sweep shot” and bowlers doing underhand bowling. The wickets are made larger and of a neon color to allow partially sighted players to see.

Recently, on 27th of August, our brilliant team won the IBSA World Championship against India. A truly remarkable victory. Not only that but also being champions in 2002 and 2006 they made it their mission to make Pakistan proud, and they have done just that.

As a result of the surveys conducted it was realized that around 82.47% of youth did not know about the team let alone their achievements. This is unfortunate as having the younger generation aware about the team would promote empathy, solidarity, compassion and a strong sense of passion for the inclusivity of others in our community. It would provide equal opportunities for other younger visually impaired individuals in our society.

Reiterating that our team’s aim is to get people to encourage this team, to bring them the respect they deserve and more importantly to show them support we urge everyone to attend the Blind Cricket Team’s matches, spread the news of their victories, broadcast their matches, produce merchandise and do anything possible to support them.