Archives

NEW DELHI, Wednesday (AFP) - They may have never seen a cricket match but are the most avid followers of the game; they may not be able to sight a ball but are raring to perform on the cricket field.

The band of 17 Indian players gearing up for the second World Cup cricket for the blind, to be held in the southern Indian city of Madras next month, hope to bring light to their dark worlds by winning the tournament.

"We want to win the World Cup for our country though we can't say for sure how much progress we've made since last time," said captain Ramkaran Sharma, who hails from New Delhi.

For Sharma, like the rest of the team, cricket is nothing less than a godsend.

"Cricket has given us something to look forward to in life. The kind of enthusiasm that the team has is unimaginable," said Sharma, who also played in the first World Cup in New Delhi four years ago. Blind cricket players use a plastic ball packed with small metallic beans, which helps players track the movement of the ball.

The bowler sends down deliveries underarm and the batsman takes a swipe, most often what would be a sweep shot in regular cricket. The rest of the match goes on more or less like the regular game. George Abraham, Chairman of the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI), swears each match is keenly contested.

"You have to see one to believe it," he said.

Cricketers are classified into fully blind (B1), partially-blind (B2) and partially-sighted (B3) categories. Each team needs to have a minimum of four B1 category players, a maximum of three B2 and four B3 players. "The rules have evolved over the years, but India has been instrumental in bringing various countries together," Abraham said. "We hope more and more countries will participate in future World Cups."

Defending champions South Africa, last edition's runners-up Pakistan, Australia, England, Sri Lanka and India are the six teams participating in the World Cup from December 3 to 14.

"New Zealand were alloted the tournament but India had to bail them out after they expressed inability to hold the event," Abraham said. "We've got support from all around, including famous cricketers and sponsors."

Former West Indian Test opener Gordon Greenidge was one of those moved by cricket for the blind and made it a point to attend a function organised by the ACBI to announce the Indian team for the World Cup.

"I'm happy to see that this form of cricket is going from strength to strength. I wish the upcoming event more success than the previous one," Greenidge said.

"But I feel cricket for the blind is a rather crude way to put it. It should be called cricket for the vision impaired.

"This is a noble cause and the sad thing about such a competition is that there can be only one winning team."

Abraham said the effort of holding a national championship since 1990 and having a domestic system in place in India was instrumental in popularising the game among those with an impaired vision. "We owe a lot to people like former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Madhavrao Scindia, who helped give an impetus to the game not only in India but internationally," said Abraham. Scindia, a leader of India's Congress party, died in an aircrash last year. "This World Cup will be held in his memory," said Abraham.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager