Blind cricket - A way of life for the visually challenged
Blind cricket is a form of cricket for the visually challenged and partially sighted players. World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) is the governing body for this version of cricket since 1996. To date there have been three Blind World Cups; the first World
Cup took place in India in 1998, the second edition also took place in India in 2002 and the last one was held in Pakistan in 2006.
Today there are ten full members of the WBCC namely http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Abraham-c58936, who is also responsible for the first edition
of the World Cup in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 as they defeated Pakistan in the finals. The 1998 World Cup finalist again met in the second edition in India, the only difference in the World Cup 2002 was that Pakistan won against South Africa. And
recently the 2006 World Cup was hosted by Pakistan, and both arch rivals India and Pakistan met in the finals, Pakistan turning out to be a better blind cricket side. After ten years of service by Abraham, he was re-elected as the President of the council
in 2008.
The difference between standard cricket and blind cricket is mainly with regard to the ball used in the game. The blind cricket ball is the size of three footballs, containing ball bearings. The players in blind cricket are composed of five different sight
categories B1, low partial, B2, B3, and B4. B1 is completely blind and the sight categories then move upwards in levels of sight. All five composed categories have different rules and compensations in order to make the playing field as level as possible.
Other differences in this format of the game includes a larger wicket, which helps the partially sighted players see and play with ease. For a totally blind batsman the ball should reach the crease with at least two bounces but must not be rolling. On the
contrary, for a partially blind batsman the ball must pitch at least once before reaching the crease.
Another interesting regulation in blind cricket is that a totally blind batsman is given one chance before being given a leg-before wicket out (LBW) and he cannot be stumped. A bowler should ask the batsman whether he is ready at the start of his run-up
and at the point of his release he is to shout, “Play”. And a totally blind fielder can make a catch after the ball has bounced once. These rules in blind cricket are for the ease of the blind cricketer, so that the game can go on without any interruptions
or problems.
In blind cricket’s 12 year history, it has made some world records, which mostly belong to the two time Blind World Cup champions, the Pakistani blind team. Apparently, all major world records were achieved in the 1998 Blind World Cup. For example, fast
bowler Aamir Ishfaq's 5 wicket haul against New Zealand was attained in the recent 2006 Blind World Cup. The rest of the records came about from the 1998 Blind World Cup, from the highest score ever in an innings, of 376 runs against India, to the highest
run score in Massod Jaan’s 262 runs, to the fastest century by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashraf-c46397 Bhatti in 37 balls, and the fastest half-century by Abdul Razzaq in 17 balls. All these records belong to the Pakistani blind team, who have done comparatively well in this cricket format.
Cricket for the blind is one of the few sports that provide a healthy playing field for visually impaired players. Since 1998’s Blind World Cup, more attention has been given to this noble sport. The global game of cricket has been brought life and made
possible for these visually impaired cricket fanatics. One might wonder why the ICC isn’t doing anything for Blind Cricket. Their inclusion into this format can surely bring more money and promotion for the formats events. And it can also lead to spreading
the concept to other potential blind cricket countries.
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