Pakistan Blind Cricket Team’s Visa issues have been cleared by the Union home ministry and will participate in the ongoing Blind Cricket World Cup in India.
Pakistan Blind Cricket Team Set To Feature in World Cup 2022
The home ministry has given clearance for the issuance of visa to 34 Pakistani players and officials to take part in the Blind Cricket World Cup, a ministry official said.
The third T20 World Cup Cricket Tournament for the Blind was scheduled to take place in India from December 5 to 17. The tournament is being organised to mark the World Disability Day celebrations universally.
Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the host, India will play a total of 24 matches in which around 150 players will participate.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) had claimed in a statement that its team could not get clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs in India.
“This unfortunate incident has left the Pakistan blind cricket team in the lurch,” the PBCC had said in a statement.
The PBCC said “it strongly condemns this discriminating act of India as sports should be above regional politics”.
The world’s first Test Cricket match for the Blind was played between Pakistan and South Africa in which Pakistan defeated South Africa by 94 runs in the year of 2000.
South Africa won the first BCWC in 1998 defeating Pakistan in the finals, while Pakistan consecutively won the next two BCWCs defeating South Africa and India in the finals in 2002 and 2006. In 2014 championship was won by India defeating the two-time winner Pakistan.
T20 Blind Cricket World Cup have been played twice in 2012, and 2017 where India won both by defeating Pakistan in the final.
Earlier, India Deaf Cricket Team won the DICC T20 Champions Trophy 2022 by beating South Africa by 39 runs in the final match at Malek stadium, Ajman, UAE.
The inauguration of the World Cup on December 5 at Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium, Gurugram, will witness a ceremonial march past by all the participating teams, followed by cultural events and other activities.
Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines of India, Yuvraj Singh, Dr. Mahantesh G. Kivadasannavar, President Cricket Association for the Blind in India, will grace the occasion.
