PBCC to announce team for IBSA World Games in late June

Pakistan Blind cricket team for participation in the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games, at Birmingham, UK, would be announced in the last week of June.

“Pakistan will send a strong outfit in the Games, scheduled to be held in Birmingham, UK from August 18 to 27. PBBC will announce the national team in the last week of this month,” Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) Chairman Syed Sultan Shah told APP on Tuesday.

He said 23 players were shortlisted who performed brilliantly at the domestic level in preparation for the event. “A 17-member team will be sent for the prestigious event for the first time. We have highly talented players and our focus will be to select the best of the best for the event.”

Besides Pakistan, so far, Australia, England and India had consented to send their teams for the Games. “We are expecting a final showdown with India as they too are a very strong side,” Shah said.

“The women’s blind cricket has also been included in the games but I don’t think we’ll be able to send our (women) team as we don’t have sufficient funds for that,” he informed.

Shah said he was grateful to the IBSA administration for including blind cricket in the World Games for the first time. “PBCC has informed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the men’s blind team’s participation in the games.”

The 2023 World Games is the largest high-level international event for athletes with visual impairment, with more than 1250 competitors from 70 nations.

The games, staged every four years, are the pinnacle of the international sporting calendar outside the Paralympic Games. The sports taking place during the 2023 World Games include archery, chess, cricket, blind football, partially sighted football, women’s football, goalball, judo, powerlifting, showdown, tenpin bowling and tennis.