The Indian men’s blind cricket team lost to Pakistan in the IBSA World Games final to settle for a silver medal. While the Indian team batted first in the gold medal fixture and scored a formidable 184/3 at the Edgbaston in Birmingham, Pakistan’s chased down their target comprehensively just 2 wickets down to register a 8-wicket victory. Earlier, the Indian women’s blind cricket team had beaten Australia to win gold.
Pakistan are our men’s cricket winners at the IBSA World Games ???
India VI Men184/3
Pakistan VI Men185/2Pakistan VI Men won by 8 wickets
? Maitrayi Buddhdev pic.twitter.com/lgsYnJ6scP
— IBSA World Games 2023 (@IBSAGames2023) August 26, 2023
It is pertinent to note that cricket was include din the IBSA World Games for the first times and while both the men’s and women’s team had secured themselves a place in the final and were guaranteed of a medal before the day began, eventually it was a gold and a silver coming home for India. DR Tompaki did help the Indian men’s team off to a positive start along with VR Dunna with Tompaki particularly taking the aggressor’s role ultimately scoring 76 off 51. Later, S Ramesh’s 48 off 29 helped India reach a total of solidity.
However, it proved to be insufficient in the end as Pakistan men’s blind cricket team ultimately won the match comfortably. Their openers M Ullah and N Ali ensured the team got to the 50-run mark off just 27 deliveries. Indian bowlers went on to give away 42 runs as extras which did not help their cause either. M Salman’s 48 off 25 and B Munjir’s 41 off 12 were enough to help Pakistan cross the winning line.
After winning the match, the Pakistan men’s blind cricket team celebrated on the field itself as they became the first-ever champions in men’s cricket in the IBSA World Games. Moreover, the fact that their win in final came against their arch-rivals might have made the win sweeter.
