Come November, Nepal will participate in a Cricket World Cup. You may not have heard about it because those who are going to participate won’t tell you, for they can’t. And they won’t even hear you if you ask, as they are deaf.
While Nepal’s participation in the World Cup qualifying tournament for mainstream cricket made big news, the confirmed participation in the Second World Cup Deaf Cricket in India has not made a buzz so far. The tournament to be played by defending champion Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and India, who are in Group A along with England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Nepal of Group B will commence on Nov 20, at KC Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow.
“I was invited to participate in an executive committee meeting in India by some of my friends,” Saryu Sherchan, the president of National Cricket Federation of the Deaf – Nepal (NCFD – Nepal), told the Post via an interpreter. “When I returned as an executive committee member of the Deaf Cricket International Federation (DCIF), I started looking for the players.”
Sherchan, who is a deaf himself, had played in the Third All India Cricket Tournament for the Deaf in 1985 during his school days and that link gave him an opportunity to participate in DCIF meeting.
“The players have already been selected, they are practicing two hours daily and we are trying to find necessary funds,” an enthusiastic Sherchan ‘signaled’ in sign-language. NCFD-Nepal asked help from Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), who provided it with cricket kits, and chief cricket coach Arun Kumar Aryal, who after watching the deaf players play has promised to help them during the closed-camp.
Looking at the cricket culture in the other participating nations, it doesn’t look likely that Nepal will pull out something big. “But international participation is an achievement in itself,” said Sherchan. “Players are also confident and playing with a feeling that they can defeat any team.”
“What I can say after watching them play is that they won’t play like novice,” coach Aryal said. “If trained properly, they can certainly play proper cricket.” Aryal said he was surprised to see the deafs play cricket in a good way. NCFD-Nepal is planning to hold a month-long closed-camp before heading to India.
“We hope the team from Nepal will glorify the nation with its commendable performance,” NCFD-Nepal has mentioned in its proposal for sponsorship. And it believes Nepal’s participation will develop self-confidence and self-reliance in the deafs and hopes the deaf cricketers will also be able to change the social perspective towards the more than 700,000 deafs of the country.
“We are looking for supporters,” Yadav Dahal, the president of Nepal Sign Language Interpreter Association, said. “It’s a unique opportunity for the deafs.” Dahal will be accompanying the team as the interpreter during the event.
The first edition of the World Cup was held in Australia in 1995 with the home team emerging winner defeating South Africa in the final of the seven-nation event. In March/April this year, Indian deaf team traveled to Pakistan to play five one-day international. Deaf cricket is, otherwise, still unheard of around the world.
Since, All Indian Cricket Association of Deaf is hosting the tournament, it will be easier for Nepal to participate. The total estimated cost is just around Rs 600,000. But the future participation won’t be easier. NCFD-Nepal is planning to take the game nationwide and make it ‘the game of the deafs’.
“We know it won’t be easy for us,” Sherchan said. “But what we are looking at is to hold a national event to make cricket the game of the deafs.”
As Published in The Kathmandu Post, August 15.