Excitement was in the air as South Africa’s blind cricket team flew out to Pakistan for an ODI and Twenty20 series from February 26 2022.
Ronald Winston Harris, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Johannesburg, was pleased with the team’s energy and effort and sent his best wishes.
“I’d like to congratulate Blind Cricket SA on their outstanding effort. On behalf of the City of Johannesburg, I’d like to wish them a wonderful trip, experience, and unforgettable matches throughout their Pakistan tour. Best wishes and best of success to Blind Cricket SA.”
Blind cricket is one of the most growing sport for visually impaired people in South Africa and throughout the world. It is one of the few sports that welcomes both completely blind and partially sighted sportspeople.
“Though this tour will be a challenging voyage because several of our players have never played outside of South Africa, we know this will be a fantastic start for preparation for the World Cup in November,” said Michael de Silver, the coach of Blind Cricket SA.
Blind cricket, unlike regular cricket, is played using a ball that contains metal ball bearings, which provide audible cues to the players. The stumps are also bigger and painted in neon colours, making it easier for partly sighted players to find their way around.
“It is undeniably an honour to have the City of Johannesburg’s support as an anchor of aid to our team, The City of Johannesburg has been quite helpful in a variety of areas, including branding and transportation. This is an exciting journey that reflects our youthful, energetic squad with a bright future,” stated Isaac Bidla, the president of Blind Cricket SA.
Buhle Bidla, the captain of Blind Cricket SA, said they were excited and looked forward to competing with other teams during the Pakistan tour.
“Such tours are important and we would like to have more of them as they can raise the profile of blind cricket in South Africa and make it more accessible to people from different backgrounds and communities across the country,” Bidla junior said.
01/03/2022