Jay Shah gets requested by ECB secretary Richard Gould to operate national disability teams

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a proposal to establish two national disability cricket teams in India. This initiative aims to promote the sport among differently-abled communities and create a more inclusive cricketing environment.

ECB secretary Richard Gould has written to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, suggesting the formation of two teams, one for visually impaired (blind) cricketers and another combined team for physically challenged, intellectually challenged, and hearing-impaired players.

Currently, India has the Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI), a subcommittee of the BCCI. However, the Indian board does not independently organize tournaments for differently-abled cricketers.

Gould's letter, which was also addressed to Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley, PCB COO Salman Naseer, and CSA CEO Phletsi Moseki, highlights the need for a coordinated strategy across different forms of disability cricket. 

“We propose boards operate two international teams -- a blind XI as a standalone format and then a pan-disability format with squads consisting of deaf, intellectually impaired, and physically disabled cricketers. We would be keen and willing to host the inaugural pan-disability tournament involving our five nations in 2025. The ICC are keen to show collective support for this approach to ensure any steps are member-driven,” Gould wrote, as quoted by India Today.

“Global disability cricket is unstructured, unregulated, and often unsupported. There are many different codes of disability cricket -- blind, deaf, intellectual impairment, and physical disability and there has been widespread lack of coordination and strategy that sits across all four,” he added.

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This has not been an area of sport we have collectively prioritised: Gould

The ECB secretary also proposed hosting an inaugural pan-disability tournament involving five nations in 2025. The timing of this proposal is crucial, as discussions are set to take place during the upcoming ICC Annual Conference in Colombo.

Gould is expected to participate in the Chief Executives Meet, where this topic will likely be on the agenda. Ravi Chauhan, the head of DCCI, is also expected to be present in Sri Lanka to participate in these discussions, acting as a bridge between his committee and the BCCI.

“This has not been an area of sport we have collectively prioritised and although financial restraints are felt as prevalently now as ever, now is the time for us to come together to turbocharge the disability game,” Gould further wrote.

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The potential impact of this initiative cannot be overstated. With approximately 1.3 billion people living with various disabilities globally, this represents an untapped market for cricket.