In the opening game of the Pakistan-India Blind Cricket series, Pakistan defeated India by five wickets on Thursday at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Academy Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The coin for tossing the match between Pakistan and India was flipped by Naima Alvi Bawany, the daughter of Pakistani President Dr. Arif Alvi.
After winning the toss, Pakistani captain Nisar Ali decided to send India into the bat first. By getting rid of the dangerous Sunil Ramesh in the third over, Pakistani spinner Badar Munir achieved a breakthrough early on. In their allotted 20 overs, India managed to produce a competitive total of 213 runs at the loss of 5 wickets.
Venkatesh Rao scored, while Indian skipper Dargah Rao added 61 runs off 42 balls.
Badar Munir and Kamran Akhter, two bowlers from Pakistan, each took two wickets. Pakistan’s response saw early setbacks as they lost a few wickets, including captain Nisar Ali, who amassed 18 runs off of just 11 balls.
But with five wickets remaining in the 20th over, Pakistan managed to chase down the goal of 214 runs thanks to an outstanding innings from Badar Munir. The game-winning innings came from Badar Munir’s undefeated 129 runs off 63 balls, which included five sixes and eighteen fours.
Nakulabadanayak and Durga Rao Parsaad, two Indian bowlers, both managed to grab one wicket. The man of the match award went to Badar Munir. Pakistan now leads the three-match T-20 series 1-0 after this victory.
The second match is slated to happen at the same location on February 23, 2024. It should be noted that Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka were the participants in the aforementioned Triangular Blind Cricket T20 cricket series. However, because the Sri Lankan team was unable to play the series because the NOC was not issued in a timely manner, the India-Pakistan blind cricket series was played instead.
