Blind Cricket: Regus extends support to National Team for inaugural T20 Asia Cup

The Sri Lanka Visually Handicapped cricket team is embarking on  a tour to India to take part in the first ever T20 Asia Cup  in Kochi, India without a proper sponsor, training and with a lot of unanswered questions haunting them.

The team is due to leave on January 16 for the tournament which starts on January 17 and ends on January 24. 

Five Asian teams will be participating in the contest. 

They are: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

In the first round Sri Lanka will meet Bangladesh on January 19, Sri Lanka vs Nepal on January 20 and vs Pakistan on January 21. 

Sri Lanka will take on India on January 22. 

Sri Lanka is currently occupying the third place having won the third spot at the 40-overs World Cup held in South Africa in 2014. 

India emerged champions with Pakistan as the runners-up.

Last year the Australian Visually Handicapped cricket team toured Sri Lanka to play in five 40-overs-per-side games where Sri Lanka won five. 

One game was abandoned due to rain.  

The Sri Lanka team will be led by Chandana Deshapriya from Monaragala. 

The deputy skipper is Dimuthu Ravindra from Weligama. 

Players from all parts of Sri Lanka form the team. 

The President of the Visually Handicapped Association is Norbert Silva said that the team is very strong. 

Continuing he said that it was unfortunate that they could not train in a ground in Colombo. 

“We requested from several schools but they declined to give the grounds due to school matches. The clubs too were reluctant to help us as the Premier League is in progress.

“The cost for the tour is Rs. 11 Lakhs. We approached sponsors but we were not successful due to the year end. The Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera however agreed to provide air-tickets and provided us accommodation at the Sports Ministry premises in Colombo. Still we have not trained on a turf wicket. It is disheartening to note that the facilities provided to women’s cricket were not provided to us by Sri Lanka Cricket. Please do not differentiate cricket,” he said.

Former deputy skipper D. Chaminda and a player in the touring party said that there are various players in the present tour party. 

Some have jobs, some go not have jobs. 

Continuing he said that they had to overcome various problems regarding their jobs and families to come to Colombo. 

“Last time when we toured South Africa the players received pocket money of Rs. 10,000 each.This time we are going on this empty handed,” he lamented.

Regus Sri Lanka, having always emphasised the significance of supporting and boosting the aspirations of their stakeholders, has decided to extend a helping hand to the Sri Lanka Cricket Association of the Visually Handicapped (SLCAVH) by providing encouragement to the national team.

Commenting on the supportive initiative that was taken up for the visually handicapped cricket team, Dr. Nirmal De Silva - Country Manager of Regus Sri Lanka said, “We considered this initiative when the team reached out to us through the dynamic SLCAVH President, Norbert Silva. We decided to extend to them the necessary support in order to ensure that they make it to the tournament in India and have the opportunity to make Sri Lanka proud. Regus always focuses on helping our customers be more successful irrespective of whether it is a start-up or a large multinational entity. The approach is the same when it comes to engaging with the community. Cricket is a game that people are most passionate about in Sri Lanka and we wanted to encourage the national team by exemplifying that Regus and the entire nation is behind them”.

The Sri Lanka team: I.A.P. Saman Kumara, J.P.D. Raveendra, D. Chaminda, Chaminda Pushpakumara, Nuwantha Sudesh, Kosala Herath, Upul Sanjeewa, RuwanWasantha, K.B.R. Jayarathna, Kalum Lakmal, M.D.D.N. Mathugama, Chandana Deshappriya, Chandana Kumara, Kalyan Kumara, Suranga Sampath, Dimuthu Perera, Ruwan Karunathilaka

Officials: R.M.U. Lakshan Deshappriya (Manager), Ravi Perera (Umpire), Y.S.G. Sumanaweera (Team Coach).