Pakistan lose Blind World Cup final to India

SHARJAH - India beat Pakistan by two wickets in the final of 5th Blind Cricket World Cup in Sharjah on Saturday.

Batting first, Pakistan scored 308 for the loss of eight wickets in allocated 40 overs after they were sent into bat first by India who won the toss.

For Pakistan, Badar Munir scored 57, while Riasat Khan added 48 runs to the team’s total. Captain Nisar Ali could add 47 runs

In response, India reached the target in the penultimate over with two wickets remaining. Although Pakistan got three consecutive wickets as India was inching towards the target but a wide-ball that went to cross the boundary confirmed India’s victory in the final.

This is India’s second title win in the Blind Cricket World Cup. Pakistan has also won the title twice while South Africa won the title once.

The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council has invited ICC CEO David Richardson, former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas and former Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani to witness the final.

Pakistan stormed into the finale after defeating Sri Lanka by 156 runs in the semi-final on Wednesday. India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the semi-final to set up a title clash with Pakistan.

The final match was to be held at the Gadaffi Cricket Stadium in Lahore. However, due to the political tension between India and Pakistan, it was decided that the match will be played in the UAE. The finals will be played a day ahead of schedule. The initial tournament schedule showed that the finals will be played on 20th January 2018. But it will now the played on 20th January 2018 at the MCC Ground in Ajman, UAE.

Although Pakistan is the official host for the tournament, India played all their matches in UAE. The United Arab Emirates has been the second home for Pakistan cricket since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009.

Pakistan, in the mega event, registered wins against Bangladesh, Nepal, Australia and Sri Lanka in the semi-final while lost to India and Sri Lanka in the group matches.

While India, on the other hand, beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Whereas, their first match against Australia was washed out due to rain. India beat Bangladesh by seven-wickets in the semi-finals to proceed to the finals.