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HomeSportWhy blind cricketers in Pakistan are better off than six-time champions India

Why blind cricketers in Pakistan are better off than six-time champions India

Pakistan blind cricket team is recognised and funded by the Pakistan Cricket Board. But India’s team is not officially recognised by BCCI and players struggle to make ends meet.

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New Delhi: As far as being cash-strapped goes, Pakistan has it worse than India. But when it comes to the neighbouring country’s national blind cricket team, the men in green are way better off than their Indian counterparts, who despite a series of international triumphs still do not draw even a token stipend.

The Pakistani team is recognised and funded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and contracted players draw salaries, players who spoke to ThePrint said.

On the other hand, the Indian team, which has a much more impressive track record, is not officially recognised by the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and most members struggle to make ends meet.

This even though the team has won two one-day international (ODI) World Cups, one Asia Cup, three consecutive T20 World Cups, the last one being in 2022, and many bilateral and trilateral international series.

Speaking to ThePrint, India’s blind cricket captain Ajay Kumar Reddy explained that since the team is not affiliated with the BCCI, the members do not have salaried contracts.

On top of that, sponsorships are hard to come by and there is little meaningful assistance or recognition from the government. “Eleven out of 17 players are jobless,” he added. India has won two T20 World Cups under Reddy’s captaincy.

Now, compare this with the Pakistani blind cricket team.

Pakistan blind team captain Nisar Ali, who had just returned from an afternoon practice session at Faisalabad’s cricket ground, told ThePrint how the PCB supports Pakistan’s blind cricketers.

“We are contracted players under the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council, which is funded by PCB. Not just that, 80 per cent of us have jobs either in private companies or in the government sector,” Ali told ThePrint over the phone.

The Pakistan blind cricket team celebrating their 58-run win against India in the triangular series in Bangladesh on 3 April, 2021 | Twitter | @SajSadiqCricket
The Pakistan blind cricket team celebrating their 58-run win against India in the triangular series in Bangladesh on 3 April, 2021 | Twitter | @SajSadiqCricket

This is arguably even more remarkable since, unlike the Indian team, the Pakistani side has registered only a modest number of international victories — including two ODI World Cups, in 2002 and 2006. The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) got PCB affiliation after the latter victory.

“When Pakistan hosted the 2006 ODI World Cup, the then president General Pervez Musharraf and the PM of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz were keenly involved in the tournament,” PBCC chairman Syed Sultan told ThePrint. “When we won the World Cup, they gave us around Rs 2 crore as a cash prize. The PCB recognised us that year.”

Since then, he added, things have gone well. “Today, we attend their annual general meeting as one of the members of PCB and are allocated an annual budget for our infrastructure requirements, salaries to contracted players,” Sultan said.

ThePrint tried to contact BCCI secretary Jay Shah over email and phone for comment on blind cricketers’ plight. The story will be updated when a response is received.


Also read: Won World Cup but no fanfare—Jharkhand blind cricketer waits for better school for kids


Pakistan’s haves vs India’s have-nots

The PCB gives the country’s blind cricket council an annual budget of around Rs 2 crore, which contributes to 80 per cent of overall expenses, including for international and domestic tournaments, Sultan said.

The 2022 honorarium structure of Pakistan’s blind cricketers who play internationally. The honorarium/contracted salaries are divided into three categories: A, B, and C. It has been hiked since | By special arrangement
The 2022 honorarium structure of Pakistan’s blind cricketers who play internationally. The honorarium/contracted salaries are divided into three categories: A, B, and C. It has been hiked since | By special arrangement

In addition to this, the PCB gives match fees to blind cricketers. The amount, per match, is Rs 1,000 for domestic games, Rs 1,500 for one-day matches, and Rs 10,000 for international tournaments. Although Pakistani players do have grouses and have lobbied for salary increases, the stipend is a welcome buffer. Earlier this month, a hike was announced for the monthly honorariums, with Category A players getting Rs 20,000, Category B Rs 17,000, and Category C being allocated Rs 15,000.

Meanwhile, though blind Indian cricketers get Rs 700 and Rs 3,000 for each domestic and international match respectively, they do not draw any salary at all. Most players are unemployed.

Team captain Reddy said those who did have jobs did not get them by virtue of their cricket contributions, except for allrounder Sukhram Majhi who was recently given a post in recognition of his sporting achievements by the Odisha government

The current employment status of India's blind cricket team players | ThePrint
The current employment status of India’s blind cricket team players | ThePrint

“We are only six fully employed players. The rest are all struggling. Most who are employed got the job by clearing exams and not because of their merit in cricket,” he added.

“We need jobs or some salary to survive. Imagine playing for almost no money… forget about post-retirement conditions,” the Indian captain said.

Reddy is painfully aware that the team across the border is better off.

“In Pakistan, blind cricketers are famous and the PCB takes care of their well-being. The international players get salaries,” he said.

It’s not just about the money, but also recognition.

PBCC’s Sultan, who is also the president of the World Blind Cricket Council, said that the Pakistan government has honoured the efforts of blind cricketers by bestowing them top civilian awards like the Tamgha-e-Shujaat and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, “which are equivalent to India’s Padma Shri”.

Three blind cricketers have won various civilian awards from the Pakistan government, including Abdul Razzaq, 2006/2002 World Cup captain for Pakistan’s blind team, who was honoured with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2011.

Apart from this, PCB acknowledges blind cricketers’ performances by giving awards like ‘blind cricketer of the year’.

In India, former blind captain Shekhar Naik was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2017. He had captained the Indian team to victories in the 2012 T20 World Cup and the 2014 ODI World Cup.

Shekhar Naik, former Indian blind team captain receiving Padma Shri award from then president, Pranab Mukherjee in 2017. He captained the 2012 T20 World Cup and 2014 ODI World Cup winning teams. | Photo: CABI website
Shekhar Naik, former Indian blind team captain receiving Padma Shri award from then president, Pranab Mukherjee in 2017. He captained the 2012 T20 World Cup and 2014 ODI World Cup winning teams. | Photo: CABI website

India’s blind players, though, are usually far from the general public’s eye. In Pakistan, they have more of a fan base, captain Nisar Ali claimed.

“In 1998, we participated in the World Cup and became runners-up. Then the Pakistan government noticed us. But the 2002 World Cup win made us popular among the masses,” he said.

What has BCCI done for blind cricketers?

The apex body that is responsible for developing blind cricket in India and organising matches is the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), which is affiliated with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and World Blind Cricket (WBC), according to its website. The BCCI, though, does not officially recognise CABI.

However, in 2021, the BCCI formed a sub-committee called the Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) to promote cricket among differently abled players, including those with blindness, deafness, and mobility challenges.

While members of CABI have links with DCCI, the two are not formally affiliated.

CABI general secretary John David told ThePrint that the BCCI in its apex council meeting in April 2021 had announced that it would form the DCCI, to oversee cricket for the blind, deaf, and wheelchair-bound.

“I am the treasurer (of the DCCI), while Dr. Mahantesh G.K who is the president of the CABI, is the president of the DCCI as well,” David said.

However, while the BCCI does help in providing grounds to CABI for important matches, the lack of recognition continues to be a dampener.

“We don’t want the BCCI to control us or take over the CABI. The least we want is recognition of CABI by the BCCI… or at least give some formal recognition letter to us regarding DCCI. This will help us to get sponsors and raise funds for our cricket tournaments. Whenever we go to sponsors, they ask for formal proof and we don’t have any,” David said.

Indian blind cricket captain, Ajay Kumar Reddy (L) with player Deepak Malik | Twitter | @blind_cricket
Indian blind cricket captain, Ajay Kumar Reddy (L) with player Deepak Malik | Twitter | @blind_cricket

In 2017 after the T20 World Cup win, BCCI gave a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh to each blind cricketer, but no such announcement was made when the team registered its third consecutive T20 World Cup win last December.

However, David confirmed that the Union sports ministry announced a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh to each player, which is yet to be received. The ministry had given Rs 5 lakh to each player also after the 2014 ODI World Cup victory and then post the T20 World Cup win in 2017.

“Our future is bright. We have also started a women’s blind cricket national tournament and I am proud that we started with only six teams and today we have 11 national women blind cricket teams. All we need is a little push from the BCCI to ascertain our vision for upliftment of the Indian blind cricket scenario,” David said.

The question of jobs

The Indian blind team’s wicket-keeper and allrounder Sukhram Majhi has had a tough life. A native of Odisha’s Koraput, he lives with his mother, who has been blind since birth, and a sister who suffers from mental illness. His father hasn’t been in the picture since Majhi was two years old.

Amid these difficult circumstances, cricket was a ray of hope and made him feel alive, he told ThePrint.

“I never played cricket to get money but for passion. I forget my problems when I am on the ground,” said Majhi, part of the T20 World Cup-winning team.

Sukhram Majhi with his mother and sister | Photo courtesy Sukhram Majhi

His cricket earnings have been meagre, he said, but his family stretched the money as far as they could. An international match meant Rs 3,000 for the family’s kitty. A domestic one added a mere Rs 700.

But things are looking up for Majhi. Shortly after the December 2022 T20 World Cup victory, Majhi got a job thanks to the Odisha government recognising his contributions in sports and offering him a job.

“Now I get Rs 22,000 a month in a state government job,” he said.

According to CABI’s David, initiatives to give jobs based on meritorious sports performance could make all the difference to the players on India’s blind cricket team.

According to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, the government of India has four per cent reservation for differently-abled persons in jobs. However, there is no separate quota for differently-abled sportspersons.

Universities/railways/PSUs recruit meritorious players from 43 recognised sports, while for differently abled sportspersons, notifications depend on vacancies coming up.

Weighing in on this, Gursharan Singh, secretary of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), said that differently-abled athletes “get jobs either in railways, banks, or universities through the sports quota where they are recruited based on their sports merit. For this, proper vacancy circulars are taken out.”

He added that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) also recruits para-athletes, but “it is not a periodic recruitment”.

‘How can richest cricket board ignore us?’

According to Gursharan Singh, it falls to the BCCI to consider players’ wellbeing rather than the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or SAI.

“The BCCI takes care of cricket in India, and hence their well-being is not the responsibility of IOA or SAI. I feel blind cricket needs a proper regulatory body to look after their finances, requirements, and standardisation of classifications,” Singh said.

For now, blind cricketers have to rely on disability reservations or state-level notifications for jobs. The wait also continues for the BCCI to formally include DCCI under its ambit so that players can start getting contracted assignments.

“The BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world —  how can they be so ignorant to us? It took a long time for them to realise their responsibility towards women cricketers, but god knows when we will get their attention,” Indian captain Reddy said. “We need the support of the BCCI or at least that of the government.”

This story has been updated to reflect that Jay Shah is the secretary and not chairman of the BCCI, Syed Sultan is the PBCC chairman, not president. The error is regretted.

(Edited by Asavari Singh)


Also read: Accessible homes for disabled Indians is not a favour, it’s an obligation


 

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