The third edition of the T20 World Cup for Blind is set to commence on 6 December with hosts India taking on Nepal in the tournament opener in Faridabad. The competition which comprises seven teams will be played in a round-robin format where all the sides will face each other.
The semi-finals of the World Cup are scheduled to take place on 15th December and the title clash is slated to be held on 17 December in Bengaluru. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be up against each other on 7 December in Delhi.
Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh is the brand ambassador for the 3rd T20 World Cup for the Blind.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the 3rd T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind as the Brand Ambassador. I commend and appreciate the spirit of visually Impaired Cricketers for their passion for Cricket and determination to fight everyday challenges. It is a different world, but it is a world of Cricket. Cricket has no boundaries. And I believe this game taught me How to Fight, how to Fall, how to Dust Myself off to get up again and Move Forward. So I urge and invite everyone to support this great initiative,” he said.
Australia, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India are the teams who will be featuring in the tournament. 150 Players will be participating from all the countries and tournaments will take place in 9 cities across India and will consist of a total of 24 matches.
Let’s now have a look at some of the rules and regulations.
How is Blind cricket played?
The bowler has to bowl underarm deliveries while it should pitch twice before reaching the batter. The boundaries are 45 yards as a minimum and a maximum of 55 yards.
It’s mandatory for the bowlers to say “ready” when he is ready to bowl and the batter replies “yes”. Apart from this, the bowler has to shout “play” while delivering the ball.
If the bowler fails to do that, the umpire can call it a no-ball.
The batters generally use the sweep shot prominently to score runs.
The Players
There are three categories, B1, B2, B3. The B1 players are totally blind, B2 are partially blind while the B3 cricketers are partially sighted. The team comprises of XI players and should have at least four B1 players, three B2 players and a maximum of B3 players.
The B1 category shall have a runner while B2 has an option of keeping a runner.
If a B1 player takes a “one bounce” catch, it will result in the batter being given out.
The B1 players wear a white wristband on the right wrist or a white stripe on the right upper arm of the playing shirt.
B2 players wear a red wristband on the right wrist or two white stripes on the right upper arm of the playing shirt.
B3 players wear a blue wristband on the right wrist or three white stripes on the right upper arm of the playing shirt.
The Ball
The ball that is used is a bit larger in size in comparison to normal cricket ball and has ball bearings.
The Bat
The regular cricket bat with general specifications is used.
Stumps
The stumps used in blind cricket are higher and wider than normal ones. They are 35 inches high and 10 inches wide.
Schedule for India matches for T20 World Cup for Blind 2022.
India vs Nepal- 6th December- Sledge Hammer- FaridabadIndia vs Pakistan- 7th December- DDA Siri Fort Sports ComplexIndia vs Australia- 10th December- Khalsa Stadium, Indore, Madhya PradeshIndia vs South Africa- 11th December- St Paul’s college Kochi cricket groundIndia vs Bangladesh- 13th December- Barabati Stadium- Cuttack, OdishaIndia vs Sri Lanka- 14th December- Panjim Gymkhana Sports Club- Goa
SQUADS:
Name of the Player Age Category State01 Lalit Meena 28 B1 Rajasthan02 Praveen Kumar Sharma 32 B1 Haryana03 Sujeet Munda 26 B1 Jharkhand04 Nilesh Yadav 19 B1 Delhi05 Sonu Golkar 36 B1 Madhya Pradesh06 Sovendu Mahata 25 B1 West Bengal07 Ajay Kumar Reddy (C) 32 B2 Andhra Pradesh08 Venkateswara Rao (VC) 30 B2 Andhra Pradesh09 Nakula Badanayak 17 B2 Odisha10 Irfan Diwan 16 B2 Delhi11 Lokesha 27 B2 Karnataka12 Tompaki Durga Rao 24 B3 Andhra Pradesh13 Sunil Ramesh 24 B3 Karnataka14 A. Ravi 27 B3 Andhra Pradesh15 Prakash Jayaramaiah 38 B3 Karnataka16 Deepak Malik 27 B3 Haryana17 Dhinagar.G 22 B3 Pondicherry
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