Ramu R By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala blind cricket team was in the city to participate in a cricket tournament held at the Loyola School ground in Sreekaryam on Sunday. The team had earlier participated in the Kerala-Karnataka bilateral series held at the KCA ground, Perinthalmanna. The series saw the Kerala team winning one of its matches against the Karnataka team, which is ranked third in the country. Five players who have played for the national blind cricket team including team captain Abdul Munaz, Vishnu U P, Mohammed Farhan, Maneesh A and Manoj M T formed the spine of the team. Munaz, who had participated in the Sri Lankan bilateral series in 2018, said: “The only difference in the cricket we play is underarm bowling.” According to Vishnu U P, a player from Thiruvananthapuram, blind cricket is still considered by society as a charity event. “We go to the gym and run 10km daily in the field. We also perform well,” said Vishnu. Mohammed Farhan from Nilambur, Malappuram, who had participated in the Blind Cricket World Cup in 2014 and Blind T20 World Cup, spoke about the lack of recognition for blind cricket in the state. “Our team is still not officially recognised by the Kerala Sports Council even though they provide funds for the team to play in the tournaments. We are forced to take day-offs to play in tournaments,” said Farhan who works as a lower-division clerk in the Department of Social Justice. However, players said that the situation is slowly improving. “The sport has become more competitive now,’’ said Munaz. Further, the Cricket Association for the Blind in Kerala (CABK), which organises tournaments for the Kerala blind cricket team, plans to introduce a women’s cricket team in the future. “Training has already begun. We are prepping them for the All India National Women’s Cricket Tournament being held in Delhi in December,” said Rajanish Henry, senior vice-president of CABI and secretary of CABK. Presently, the team is practising for the upcoming Nagesh Trophy, an All India Cricket Tournament for the Blind.

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