Indian blind cricket team to tour Pakistan next year

LAHORE: The Indian blind cricket team will tour Pakistan in February next year, the cricket running body for the blind in Pakistan said on Monday.

"We have convinced India to send their blind team to Pakistan for a three one-day and three Twenty20 internationals tour next February,"president of the Pakistan Blind Cricket Association Syed Sultan Shah said.

The trip would be the Indian blind team's third tour to arch-rivals Pakistan, after the tour in December 2011 when they lost both the one-day and Twenty20 series.

The matches will be played in Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad, Shah said.

"They were reluctant to send their team due to security reasons, but we managed to convince them because blind cricket is all about peace and harmony and there are no fears on holding such a series," said Shah.
The ball used in blind cricket is bigger, with ball bearings inside it so that players can hear it coming.

Of the 11 players in each team, four must be totally blind, four partially blind and three partially sighted.

Regular international cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since militants attacked a Sri Lankan team bus at Liberty Chowk during the Lahore Test match in March 2009.

Shah, president of World Blind Council as well, said that India wanted to host the Asia Cup for blind teams next year.

Pakistan's blind team toured India last year to feature in the Blind World Twenty20 held in Bangalore. India beat Pakistan to lift the trophy.

India and Pakistan have not played a full bilateral series since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, though Pakistan did visit India for a short series in December and January.