India's Blind Cricket Team Given Green Signal for T20 World Cup in Pakistan

Mumbai, Dec 28: The Sports Ministry has finally cleared the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) and the Indian blind cricket team to participate in the forthcoming T20 World Cup, marking a historic milestone.

However, despite this clearance from the Ministry of Sports, CABI officials are still awaiting necessary clearances from the External Affairs and Home ministries. According to sources obtained by Sports Tak, NOCs for participation have been issued by the Sports Ministry with certain conditions, subject to clearingances from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs.

The sports ministry has no objections to the Indian team's participation in the 4th T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind tournament scheduled in Pakistan from November 22nd to December 3rd, 2024. CABI officials will be required to submit all necessary information regarding the event, including dates, venues, participating teams, and officials.

"This is a huge relief for us as we've been waiting for clarity on this for over 15 days," said Shailender Yadav, General Secretary of the CABI. "Despite previous experiences in visiting Pakistan in 2014, 2018, and Indonesia in 2023 when the tournament was held there, we needed a written confirmation from the government to participate."

The Blind T20 World Cup 2024 will be hosted by Pakistan for the first time. The tournament is scheduled to start on November 23rd and end on December 3rd. Teams from nine countries including host nation Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, Nepal, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, and Oman are expected to take part.

CABI officials hope that this victory will pave the way for more participation of blind cricket teams from around the world in international tournaments, promoting inclusivity and equality.