ISLAMABAD, Apr 06 (APP):Pakistan will field a strong outfit in the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games, taking place in Birmingham, UK from August 18-27.
“We’ve conveyed to the organizers last month that our men’s blind team will partake in the event. It is for the first time that cricket has been included in the games, hence we are eager to chip in the event,” Syed Sultan Shah, the chairman of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) told APP on Thursday.
According to Shah, a 20-member Pakistan team will be sent for the prestigious event.
“We have highly talented players and our focus will be to select the best of the best for the event. He said so far besides Pakistan, 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,” he said.
“The women 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.
“It would have been a great exposure for them (women team). We still have the chance to send their entries but finances are a big hurdle,” he said.
Sultan Shah said that the PBCC had informed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the men blind team’s participation in the games and requested for more financial support to meet the travel and other expenditures.
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.
