When 22-year-old Nima BC appeared in a cricket ground of Kathmandu, there was no any single sign of gloom or frustration for not being able to see the world. Rather, she was filled with enthusiasm as she was playing the world's first ever Twenty20 International Blind Women cricket tournament. This girl from western Nepal did not enter school until 10, when she realized that she was visually impaired or in general blind. In the initial days of realization, she faced a lot of difficulties while adjusting with the sighted parents and friends in schools.
Nima, who was born blind, told Xinhua, "I love cricket a lot. I want to complete my study and want to be in teaching profession." Now, she is enrolled in a university for bachelors in education in the capital.
Besides her, 13 other visually impaired girls from across the nation are in Kathmandu to play cricket tournament against similar team of Britain. The three-day tournament that ended Tuesday is being organized by the Cricket Association of Blind Nepal (CABN).
With a spirit to show the world that physically challenged people can have great achievements in life, they are busy in showing their best skills with bat and ball.
The bat is the same with the normal players, but the ball is different, which is made of hard plastic and filled with tiny ball bearings. Also, the bowling they perform is not as similar to the professionals. Bowling is underarm, which creates some kind of sound helping batsman to get ready for batting.
Before bowling, the bowler gives an audible signal and thus the batsman too gives an audible signal in return indicating the readiness.
According to the CABN, the Nepali blind women cricket team comprises 3 categories of visually impaired people. First are completely blind, the second group consists of partially blind players or who can see till 5 meters and the third, partially sighted players who can see till 20 meters distance.
Though they had a very limited time and opportunities for practice, the team clinched victory in all three days match against the Britons. Kirtan Duwal Shrestha, the team coach, said, "There are many difficulties to train the blind team as they are from different districts and need proper support from family as well. We don't have any opportunity to practice in both regional and national level."
However, the players are very laborious, so they are able to play their first international match.
Giving a special focus on teamwork and sportsmanship, the CABN has been using cricket as a rehabilitating tool for blind youths. CABN President Pawan Ghimire told Xinhua, "Though it is difficult, nothing is impossible. These visually impaired girls are doing something unexpected, wonderful job."
But he also expressed dissatisfaction that blind sports lack enough support from the government or private organizations.
"It's very difficult to get sponsors for organizing such tournaments. Big corporate houses only support such tournaments which will have enough number of spectators and or which have been widely in media coverage," Ghimire told Xinhua.
A blind women cricket team was formed in Britain as well in 2010. Bethan Evans, founding coach of the team, credits Nepal as an inspiration behind the formation of her team. During her visit four years ago, she got so motivated with CABN's action and energy of visually impaired cricket players that she felt the desire to build a similar team in her own land.
"These sorts of tournaments will highly inspire more women and young girls to get involved in blind cricket or blind sports," she told Xinhua.
According to the CABN, Pakistan also has a female blind cricket team against whom Nepal will be playing a tournament at the end of 2015.
As a popular saying goes "If you have a will, you have a way," these visually impaired girls with strong will power are in course of extending their dreams beyond the border.
Published in Xinhua, October 28, 2014
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