Despite last-minute attempts, the Indian blind cricket team has been forced to play the 2018 World Cup, which is being hosted in Pakistan, in the UAE after failing to get clearance from the Indian government to travel to the neighbouring country amid political tensions.
The Indian team left for Dubai on Saturday afternoon and will now be based in Ajman for all its matches starting from Monday. The final of the tournament will be shifted from Lahore to Dubai should India, who are the defending champions, reach that stage.
For most of last week, officials of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) were hopeful of getting a nod from the government to allow the team’s travel to Pakistan but resorted to Plan B after failing to get it.
“Our process to secure visas for Pakistan was on for quite a while, but the government didn’t give us the permission or NOC due to the current political problems. So, we had to reschedule our matches just two days prior to our departure,” John David, CABI secretary and manager of the team, told DNA from Ajman on Saturday. Even the India-Pakistan match, which was originally scheduled to be held in Lahore on Monday, will now be played in Ajman on Friday.
Blind World Cup
- If India reaches the finals, the match will be held in to Dubai on January 19. If not, the title clash will take place in Lahore on January 21.
