WBCC chief reiterates commitment to develop blind cricket worldwide

The World Blind Cricket Council’s (WBCC) president Syed Sultan Shah has said that top effort is being made to develop blind cricket across the globe.

“Yes, we are working hard on it to broaden the blind cricket canvas across the world,” Shah told Nukta in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the T20 World Cup show between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground at Lahore.

“You saw that Afghanistan has made its debut in this T20 World Cup which we are hosting these days. We also plan to initiate blind cricket in the US as recently normal cricket World Cup was also held there. We also plan to initiate it in Zimbabwe and Kenya,” said Shah, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC).

“England and Australia have their teams but they did not come here as you need a huge budget for it. Their security teams also come with them like their normal cricket team. They also keep this SOP for their blind teams. So, such a huge budget is not there in the blind cricket which could also bear the expenses of security staff.

“I had offered them that we will provide them with logistics but budget could not be released so they could not feature in the World Cup.”

Asked how they are working for streamlining the WBCC governance, Shah said they are working hard on it.

“Look normal cricket took 100 years to develop. Previously normal cricket was also not so much popular and there was no such money involved in it. Blind cricket is developing slowly and we are streamlining the things. We are also in negotiation with the ICC. They plan that it will also back deaf, disable and blind cricket also by 2030. Its time-taking but work is being done on it. They need elected boards and only we four nations meet that criteria and mostly nations are under procedure,” Shah conceded.

India’s refusal

Talking about India’s refusal to feature in the World Cup, which Pakistan is hosting, Shah said: “I think sports should not be mixed with politics.”

“Modi sahib is affecting the sports scenario of the region. His politics is because of his stance against Pakistan. But nations across the border love cricket. They don’t like politics. Had India players come here we would have extended them huge love and affection,” Shah said.

“There is a huge fan-following of India’s players but India always tries to sabotage the event but, thank God, event is going well,” he said.

“We had little hope about India’s participation but their sports ministry had issued NOC and it created little bit of hope and we had started thinking that this time they would send their team but they maintained their traditional stance of sabotaging events in Pakistan,” Shah said.

He also confirmed that India refused to travel to Pakistan in writing.

“India Blind Cricket Council officials were very positive and their team had prepared well as the team was in the camp in New Delhi since October 27 but they had to return their homes after India refused to send the team to Pakistan,” he said.

“They are three-time champions and it hurt them a lot and their chairman had given statement that they were ready and they wanted to cross the border to defend the title. It did not happen. It’s a huge blow to normal cricket, blind cricket and even all sports,” Shah said.

Shah said that they would discuss this matter at the World Blind Cricket Council Executive Committee meeting.

Blind cricket for women

He also said that the women’s blind cricket World Cup is going to be held in 2025 for the first time.

“It was scheduled in India but they will not issue us visas as they had refused visas to Pakistan team for the 2022 blind cricket World Cup. So obviously that World Cup will have to be held at a neutral venue, even if India is to host it, so that all nations could feature in it,” he said.

Asked about the women blind cricket across the world, Shah said that it was first started by Pakistan.

“The first international bilateral series was held between Pakistan and Nepal and now work is being done on it in Australia and England also. India has also formed its women team. Now the first-ever women T20 blind cricket World Cup is being held in 2025. And gradually this cricket will also get promoted,” he said.

“Currently three to four nations are playing this. And we hope that it will progress like men’s blind cricket. We are confronted with social issues but still we have registered 100 women blind players and have been featuring in various domestic events and we hope that solid Pakistan women team will also be formed in future.

“We have been offering central contracts to our leading stuff for the last so many years. Players get from Rs25,000 to Rs18,000 and the leading 17 players have been offered contracts. Although this is not a big amount but in the meager resources we are doing it. Pakistan is the only country of the world which offers central contracts to its blind cricketers for the last 15 years.”

He also shed light on the strategy to develop Pakistan’s blind cricket, Shah said that Pakistan’s domestic structure is too strong and world recognizes this fact.

“The financial benefits and facilities which we are giving to our players I think no one in the rest of the world does so. We have worked hard on it. Previously there were no sponsors and now sponsors have come. Thanks God we have a good set up and is developing slowly,” he said.

Shah said that for the ongoing World Cup, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to give them Rs20 million “so that we could manage the event in a befitting way”.

Shah also disclosed that Punjab government has constituted a stadium for blind cricket but it has not yet been handed over to them.

“It is in the new LDA city and this is the world’s first stadium which has been specifically made for blind cricket. When this will be handed over to us it will help develop our blind cricket further. We will also establish an international academy there and we will invite coaches and players from abroad to train and educate them so that maximum people could benefit of it. And it will also help us to manage women’s cricket projects in the safe environment,” Shah said.

“An MoU has already been prepared and we are just to sign it and inshaAllah it will be done soon. And when it will be done then it will help us resolve all our training issues and domestic events.”