In Indianapolis, an international committee captivates Blind Cricket in the United States

Cricket returned to Indianapolis World Sports Park last weekend, when the upstart Blind Cricket Midwest held their first Have a Go day last Saturday. Our first meeting was on May 15 and our first demo was on July 25. We went into a pandemic in less than two months while a lot of people were traveling from Columbus, Ohio, Commissioner Taariq Smit proudly told me by phone from Cape Town, South Africa. Sixteen athletes traveled to the 2015 ICC Americas Twenty20 Division One tournament venue to try cricket. What surprised me was that not the expat community came out except for the three players who had previously played. This is a group of people who have not played this.

Blind cricketers are completely independent while playing. There are no visible guides to help players determine where the ball is; the teams and players are on their own. The referees do not interfere or instruct; it is up to the players and the coaches to help each other. The athletes throw, hit, hit, catch, catch and keep wicket. Apart from the bowlers who deliver the ball underhand and roll it across the field, there are very few adjustments. Blind Cricket is as action packed as sighted cricket, and much less adapted than Beep Ball, a blind sports popular version of baseball.

Brittany Montgomery is the lead go-getter and coordinator of the Blind Cricket Midwests five-member committee. She is the driving force behind it, she is the one who started the conversations, according to Smit. Brittany lives in Indiana with her husband Mujeeb Shami, a visually impaired experienced blind cricketer from Pakistan. It was Mujeeb’s love for the game that inspired Brittany to take the plunge. Mujeeb’s experience and knowledge will certainly help newcomers to adapt to cricket’s unique techniques and fundamentals while fulfilling the role of Development Officer.

Hasan Khan hosts a blind sports podcast in the UK and serves the Blind Cricket Midwest committee as a technical advisor. His skills will also be used on the club’s YouTube channel. Taariq Smit is the Social Media Administrator for Blind Cricket South Africa and an international referee. He is the international consultant. It is an international committee. I’m 8,000 miles away and Hassan is 4,000 miles away. Rylie Robinson, a member of Ohios first blind soccer team, completes the group as a Public Relations Officer.

The group does not hide their ambition. I think this is the beginning of something big in the United States. I really feel that if we can get some momentum and a lot of hard work, there is no reason why America is not eligible for the World Cup in 2023, Smit said. Apparently, the blind cricket world agrees. Weve had coaches around the world who offered help. We were very lucky. Pakistan Blind Cricket Council has donated bats, balls and stumps

Elbows deep into the action is Katie Atkinson of Columbus, Ohio, the founder and head coach of Ohios’ first blind soccer team. We were planning more coaching sessions. (Katie) loved it. Being involved in blind sports and working at the Recreation and Parks Department in Columbus, she understands what someone needs to get something going, Smit said.

For the time being, the group understands that this is just the beginning. In a discussion on Saturday with Hasan Khan from the board, Brittany Montgomery said we should make sure that the people who have learned this take back to their communities and continue to spread the word … we can’t just take a long break we have to keep working on this and we can’t give up. We cannot be discouraged. This will take time. Taariq Smit agrees. The important thing now is that there are 15 or 16 people involved. The response so far has been absolutely wonderful. It looks like we’re going to start teams in Columbus and Indianapolis (3 hours apart by car) and they can play against each other. Potential lands in Columbus have yet to be identified, but Indianapolis World Sports Park will do for the time being. Hopefully, if we can use that field regularly, we can encourage them to better maintain the fields.

You may be wondering How does an upstart blind cricket club appeal to potential athletes in the Midwestern United States? For a certain context, Blind Cricket is growing fast all over the world, and one in 2018 Boston entrepreneur donated $ 1 million to the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled for the benefit of blind cricket. That money was used to help international and state teams travel abroad. The United States is not far from the ground floor as only 5 Blind Cricket World Cups have been held since 1998. Only two T20 Blind Cricket World Cups have been held, the first in 2012. Combining the unique features of a sport enjoyed by partially sighted and legally blind participants who require very few adjustments (no dirty balls and no sighted pitchers required as with Beep Ball ) with the seductive potential of international play makes for a promising sales pitch. Throw in the multicultural aspect, that youth in the United States embrace more than ever before, and you have the formula.

I thought it would be interesting to bring something less traditional to the US. Not many people know what cricket is, my idea was to not only bring it here as a game, but also give it a very intercultural aspect. If we could form a strong team and eventually be recognized by the World Blind Cricket Council, we could compete internationally, and that really appealed to people, Montgomery says. Taariq Smit has defined some potential early regional opportunities. The chance to represent your country is that the West Indies are close to every island in the West Indies have a blind cricket team.

And what about the potential to represent the United States in the Paralympics? Well, that’s where the thrill of the possibility finds a speed bump. Unfortunately, it is unusual for a sport to be recognized by the International Paralympic Committee unless it has an Olympic equivalent. There are only four sports in the Summer Paralympics that are unique to the Paralympic Games. In fact, there has not been a summer sport without an Olympic equivalent blessed by the IPC since Wheelchair Rugby debuted as a demonstration sport in 1996 and became a medal sport in 2000. With the passion, camaraderie, and determination of Blind Cricket Midwest and the entire Blind Cricket world community, I wouldn’t be surprised if Blind Cricket beat his sighted older sibling to the stage.

You can follow Blind Cricket Midwest on Twitter.

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