HELPING HAND: The Saaya Association recently held the All Pakistan NBP Wheelchair Users Cricket tournament in Islamabad at the PSB complex. PHOTO COURTESY: SAAYA ASSOCIATION
Javed Raees, a former wheelchair cricketer and now a coach working with Saaya Association, is the force behind the success with the help of former cricketer Iqbal Qasim.
“It’s absolutely necessary to have this team, because our neighbouring countries have theirs’ registered with their national cricket boards,” Raees told The Express Tribune, adding that wheelchair cricket has the same rules as regular cricket with 50 overs.
He said that while the Pakistan Cricket Board is slow in responding, countries including India, Nepal Bangladesh and England among others have already registered their wheelchair cricket teams.
“So far, we have the backing of the Pakistan Sports (PSB) and Qasim, but we are yet to receive confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to grant the team the national status.”
The official said that out of 200 candidates from Mardan, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta and other cities, 22 have been shortlisted for the national squad that will tour India.
‘If them, why not us?’
Raees, who suffers from rickets, said that it is essential to let the players’ dream of playing cricket on an international level. “We began 15 years ago, and cricket is something that every Pakistani loves,” he said. “For the first two or three years, we held tournaments just for recreation. But then wheelchair cricket is a formal discipline in other countries, so why not in Pakistan?”
He revealed that Pakistan visited Nepal earlier this year and won the all-NGO series 3-0 in Kathmandu.
Explaining their limitations, Raees said that the major challenge for wheelchair cricketers and holding the event is the lack of pitches and people’s attitude. “Generally, people don’t want us to play cricket because they tell us that we ruin their pitches with our wheelchairs,” he said, adding that even if they find a venue, it costs around Rs1.2-1.6 million. “But I’m grateful to PSB Director General Akhtar Ganjera, who made a cricket pitch for the wheelchair tournament at a football ground in the Pakistan Sports Complex last weekend.
Meanwhile, Qasim wants the PCB to register the wheelchair cricket team as soon as possible. “If there can be a national blind cricket team, why not a wheelchair one?” questioned Qasim. “They really enjoy the game. They should get to express their love for cricket too.”
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