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No Travel To Pakistan! India's Blind Cricket Team Withdraws From T20 World Cup 2024

Jatin

India's blind cricket team is the reigning champion [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]India's blind cricket team is the reigning champion [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]

In a a big letdown for India’s blind cricket team, they won’t be heading to Pakistan for the T20 World Cup as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied them the permission to travel to the neighbouring country. Even though they had a green light from the Sports Ministry, they were still waiting for final approval. But now, with the MEA’s verbal denial, the team’s been forced to pull out just days before the tournament kicks off.

Indian Blind Cricket Team Pulls Out of T20 World Cup After MEA Denial

For almost a month, the team was on standby, hoping the clearance would come through. But Shailendra Yadav, General Secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), confirmed the news after a call with the MEA.

“We were waiting for the last 25 days to get permission from the government to go to Pakistan. Now we can’t wait any longer as the tournament is about to begin. When I talked with the Ministry of External affairs (MEA) on the phone then they told us that we won't be getting any permission to go to Pakistan and we can cancel your tournament. They also told us that we will be getting an official letter of denial as well. However, we haven’t got any official letter yet but on the basis of our conversation with MEA we’ve decided not to go to Pakistan and we will not participate in the Blind T20 World Cup,” Yadav shared with India Today.


Not Just India Staying Home

India isn’t the only team missing out. England, Australia, and New Zealand are also skipping the tournament, making India the fourth team not going. It’s a real blow, especially for the players who’ve been training hard for this chance. Fans are disappointed too – an India-Pakistan match is always exciting, and now Pakistan gets an easy walkover.

This comes just after the BCCI informed the ICC that the Indian men’s team wouldn’t travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy either. The future of that event is now uncertain, but the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) said the T20 World Cup for the Blind would go on. Pakistan had even issued visas for the Indian team, but with India out, it’s a different story now.

India’s Unbeaten Record Goes Unchallenged

India’s absence hits even harder because they’re the defending champs. India’s blind cricket team has won every T20 World Cup since it started – 2012, 2017, and 2022. Last year, they crushed Bangladesh by 120 runs in the final in Bengaluru, putting up a massive 277/2.