Nepal’s blind women’s cricketers success on and off the pitch

Summary of story from Trust, October 14, 2011

Spectators admiring Swastika Bhujel’s skills on the cricket pitch are often surprised to discover that she is blind.

The 22-year-old massage therapist and education student from western Nepal is part of the world’s first national cricket team for blind women.

Ms Bhujel started playing in 2007 when she was invited by some male colleagues to join in a game at the local park. She now plays for the Nepali national team and the Kaski district team, and has twice won Woman of the Match.

In a country where the Nepal Association for the Blind says blind women are doubly marginalised because of their disability and their gender, cricket has transformed the lives of visually impaired players. Ms Bhujel says people ‘no longer demean her’ for her disability, but instead want to share in her success.

Nepal now has five blind women’s regional cricket teams and about 100 active women players.

Nepal’s national cricket team for blind and visually impaired women, now officially recognised by the World Blind Cricket Council, sees itself as a pioneer in the game.

“Nepal’s blind women’s cricket team is the first of its kind in the world,” says its coach, Major Pawan Ghimire. “We’ll soon present a world-class blind woman cricketer. We’re working towards that.”

Cricket for the blind uses shorter bats, smaller gloves and a shorter running distance between wickets. The balls have chains which make a sound for the players to follow.

Players are categorised into three different groups, according to how much they can see. Members of the team who can see run for those who cannot, and those runs are scored double.