Pakistan to host the fourth Blind T20 World Cup in November 2024
Pakistan will host the fourth Blind T20 World Cup as announced by the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) ahead of the tournament in November 2024.
The previous editions of the Blind T20 World Cup have been hosted by India and the country has also won all of the T20 World Cups held in 2012, 2017, and 2022. This will be the first time a country other than India will get to host the T20 World Cup.
As confirmed by WBCC President Syed Sultan Shah, the Indian board was the first to confirm its participation in the event.
Other countries to participate are Sri Lankan Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Nepal and possibly West Indies will participate in the tournament in November.
Also Read: ICCMen’s T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule
India also visited Pakistan for the Blind Cricket World Cups in 2011 and 2014.
Sultan Shah was asked about India’s hesitancy to visit Pakistan for tournaments and he replied that the Blind Cricket Team of India does not require NOCs from the government for touring and overseas events.
He added that if the board was hesitant and didn’t want to come then they would have said so directly that their government wouldn’t allow them to visit Pakistan. But the board showed extreme excitement and readiness to play the World Cup in Pakistan.
The WBCC President discussed the possibility of Karachi not being the venue if the government were to not provide support and the event would be shifted to Lahore.
He added that he wrote letters to the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and Sindh’s CM replied positively saying that all the necessary measures be taken immediately for the event.
The President of WBCC will also have a meeting with Sindh’s Sports Minister Muhammad Baksh Mehr and discuss important matters of the event with him.
With the visit of India’s Blind Team to Pakistan, it seems possible that the Indian government will also allow the national Indian Cricket Team to come to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025 which Pakistan will host.
The Indian government is not providing NOCs to the Indian Cricket Team and BCCI due to the strained political relations between the neighbors.
