Special cricket team arrives from Pak

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 29

At a time when the BCCI has taken a stand on not playing with Pakistan in any bilateral tournament till cross-border tension eases, the neighbouring nation’s visually impaired cricket team has arrived in India with a ray of hope.

The 22-member Pakistani contingent, comprising 17 players and five officials of the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC), were received by the Punjab Sports Association for Blind president, Gurpreet Singh Chahal, and general secretary Parminder Singh at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post last evening.

The team will participate in the Twenty-20 World Cup Tournament, being organised by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI).

Before departing for New Delhi to be part of the opening ceremony, Pak officials stated that Indian team was a tough competitor.

“But, we have come to win hearts, leave aside winning or losing the match,” quipped Abdul Razzak, coach of the Pakistan team.

“The bi-lateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan have been suspended for long due to cross border tensions. The cricket aficionados of both sides have been bereft of enjoying that intense sports rivalry. I think, we may be fortunate enough to be the ‘first drop’ of the rain, which brings along peace, love, relationship and normalcy between both the countries,” he said.

While airing his views, the PBCC chief, Syed Sultan Shah, said amid the border tension between India and Pakistan, their prime motive was to catch the fancy of politicians of both the nations to ease tension.

He said, “It’s all created by ‘siyasatdaans’ of both sides. In general, people of Pakistan want to come to India often. I am sure that Indian, too, will reciprocate in the same gesture.” About the visa hiccups, he said, “Fortunately, we were always lucky to win over the heart of governments of either sides and never faced any difficulty.”

The mega event will start from January 30 and continue till February 12 in which 10 international teams will participate. Pakistan team will play its first match against New Zealand in Delhi on January 30. Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid, who is currently the Under-19 and India A coach, is the event’s brand ambassador.