Daijiworld Media Network - Colombo
Colombo, Nov 17: Politics took a back seat and sportsmanship shone bright on Sunday as blind women cricketers from India and Pakistan set aside diplomatic tensions and exchanged warm handshakes during a T20 match in Sri Lanka — a stark contrast to recent hostility between their sighted national teams.
At what organisers say is the world’s first Blind Women’s T20 Tournament, both teams displayed remarkable camaraderie at the Free Trade Zone grounds in Katunayake, about 30 km from Colombo. Despite the lack of formal greeting at the toss — echoing the behaviour of India’s sighted teams — the players surprised everyone by warmly shaking hands and exchanging compliments after the match.
The two teams had even travelled together on the same bus to the venue, setting the tone for rare harmony between the neighbours. India cruised to victory by eight wickets in just 10.2 overs, after restricting Pakistan to 135 for eight in their 20 overs. Pakistan captain Nimra Rafique congratulated India on their dominant win, while Indian skipper T.C. Deepika praised Pakistan for their spirited performance.
Though neither team was allowed to speak to the media post-match, applause echoed across the near-empty stands, with Sri Lanka’s Rupavahini broadcasting the match live. Blind Sri Lankan officials followed the game on YouTube by listening to the commentary.
Indian team manager Shika Shetty said the tournament marked a historic moment for visually impaired women. “This is the first-ever World Cup for blind women… one of the biggest opportunities for our visually impaired girls,” she told AFP, expressing hope that more differently-abled girls from rural areas would be inspired to pursue sports or education.
Pakistan coach Tahir Mehmood Butt also praised the tournament for creating new avenues in women’s blind cricket. “For the totally blind, if they have good hearing, they can become good cricketers,” he said.
Blind cricket hinges on sound — players track a plastic ball filled with ball bearings that rattle as it moves. Teams must include at least four completely blind players, three with limited vision up to two metres, and four partially sighted players able to see up to around six metres. Bowling is strictly underarm, and totally blind batters may use partially sighted runners.
Teams from Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the US are also competing in the ongoing tournament, which began in India and has now moved to Sri Lanka for the final stages. The championship match is scheduled to take place next Sunday in Colombo.