Huge proposal from ECB to BCCI to popularize sports among disabled communities, find out
India's disability cricket team, pic: BCCI/X
Xtra Time Web Desk: In a significant move to promote cricket among disabled communities, Richard Gould, Secretary of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has reached out to his counterpart at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Jay Shah, with a proposal to establish two national disability teams. One team would consist of visually impaired (blind) players, while the other would be a combined team of players with physical, intellectual, and hearing impairments.
Currently, India has the Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI), a sub-committee of the BCCI, but the Indian board does not independently organize any tournaments for disabled players. Gould's proposal aims to address this gap and will be discussed further at the ICC Annual Conference in Colombo, where Gould is set to participate in the Chief Executives Meeting.
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In his letter, also addressed to Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley, PCB COO Salman Naseer, and CSA CEO Phletsi Moseki, Gould suggested the creation of two international teams: a blind XI and a pan-disability team, including deaf, intellectually impaired, and physically disabled cricketers. He expressed the ECB's willingness to host the inaugural pan-disability tournament in 2025. Gould emphasized the importance of collective support from the ICC to ensure the initiative is member-driven.
Gould highlighted the current disorganized state of global disability cricket, citing a lack of coordination and strategy across various disability categories. He stressed the need for prioritizing this area of the sport despite financial constraints, noting that the time is ripe for concerted efforts to enhance the disability game. With 1.3 billion people living with disabilities globally, Gould sees this as an untapped market with immense potential.
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Ravi Chauhan, head of the DCCI, is expected to join the discussions in Sri Lanka, continuing his role as the liaison between the DCCI and the BCCI.
