India beat Pakistan by eight wickets in a Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind match at the Katunayake BOI Grounds in Colombo on Sunday. India chased 136 for the loss of two wickets in 10 overs, registering their fifth straight win of the tournament.Pakistan, in their second match of the event, were all out for 135 after their top order fell to 23 for 4. Mehreen Ali made 66 and Bushra Ashraf scored 44 to lift the total, but India produced seven run-outs in the innings.
In the chase, India moved quickly. Captain Deepika TC scored 45 and Anekha Devi remained unbeaten on 64. Anekha’s knock earned her the Player of the Match award as India qualified for the semifinals.
Away from the result, the match saw players from both sides shake hands, setting aside the wider tensions between the two countries. India and Pakistan’s blind teams greeted each other after the match, even though there was no handshake at the toss.Blind women from both countries shook hands in Sri Lanka in contrast to their senior sides, who have avoided handshakes in recent tournaments. Watch videoThe Indian men’s team had refused to shake hands with Pakistan during the Asia Cup in September. That stance was later seen in the women’s World Cup and again at Sunday’s Rising Stars Asia Cup match in Doha.On Sunday, however, the blind women’s teams not only shook hands at the end of the match but also travelled to the venue together in the same bus and exchanged compliments.Pakistan captain Nimra Rafique congratulated India, while India captain TC Deepika said Pakistan had played well. Both teams applauded each other but were not allowed to speak to the media.Blind cricket is played with a white plastic ball filled with ball bearings to help players locate it by sound. Each team fields at least four completely blind players, three players who can see up to two metres, and four partially sighted players who can see up to around six metres. Batters who are totally blind can have a partially sighted runner, and bowling is underarm.Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the US are also part of the tournament, which started in India before shifting to Sri Lanka for the final stages. The final will be played next Sunday in Colombo.
