Eye-opening display by blind cricketers
by Kuldip Lal
17 November 1998
NEW DELHI, Nov 17 (AFP) - The first-ever World Cup cricket for the
visualy impaired opened here on Tuesday amid the rattle of plastic
balls, noisy mid-field action and under-arm bowling.
But there was no let up in theatrical appealing as the players,
attired in colourful clothing, displayed the same fiery competitive
spirit as their national stars.
Teams from seven elite cricketing nations -- England, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- are taking
part in the 10-day event, the first international tournament of it's
kind.
Not all players are blind though. Rules allow teams to field three
players who are partially blind (20 percent vision) and four partially
sighted (40 percent vision), along with four who are totally blind.
The only concession afforded to the totally blind is that they can
take the help of runners while batting. But they are required to bowl
at least 16 of the allotted 40 overs.
Batsmen and fielders rely wholly on the noise emanating from
pebble-filled plastic balls, but that does not hinder fluent cover
drives, sweeps and spectacular catches.
``I know it's a boundary the moment the ball strikes the middle of my
bat,'' said Australia's Chris Backstrong, a partially blind batsman who
scored a half-century in the opening match against New Zealand.
``I've heard guys like Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting say the same thing,
so I must not be a bad player at all.''
Novel tactics and strategy are part of the game. The New Zealanders
posted three totally blind players near the bat at silly point,
instead of the usual one, to cover the off-side area.
``It's a masterstroke,'' an admiring supporter said. ``These players may
not be as effective in the deep. Here they form a wall to stop the
off-side strokes.''
The three players are well-protected by helmets and chest and abdomen
guards, although serious injury is ruled out since the balls weigh
only 100 grams (3.5 ounces).
The rules are the same, except that the bowler asks the batsman
``ready??'' and bowls under-arm only after the batsman has replied
``yes''. The game is supervised by seeing umpires.
The difference becomes evident when the game halts suddenly as a
road-side band strikes up popular Indian film music at a marriage
ceremony outside the ground. None of the players can hear the sound of
the ball.
Indian Test spinner Anil Kumble said it must be frustrating to play a
lovely cover drive and not be able to see the result.
``Most batsmen I know love to watch the ball racing to the boundary and
then see television replays of their favorite knocks endlessly,'' he
said.
Each team plays the other once in the round-robin league with the top
four advancing to the semi-finals.
``We want to win this one badly,'' said Indian captain Anand Sharma,
regarded by his coach as the equivalent of master batsman Sachin
Tendulkar.
``If the Indian team under Kapil Dev could win the World Cup in England
in 1983, we can surely do it at home.''
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