Disability cricket breaks new ground at Lord’s

India score thrilling win as Iconic cricket venue stages Mixed Disability International match for first time
LONDON: India's Mixed Disability Team held its nerve and sealed a thrilling two-wicket win over England in the last over at Lord's in the third T20I of their ground-breaking Mixed Disability Vitality seven-match IT20 series at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

The occasion was historic as it was the first-ever international Disability match at the 'Home of Cricket.' “When I started work in disability cricket, I never expected that this day would come, when the historic Lord's Cricket Ground stages an international Mixed Disability match. It's a huge day for Disability cricket,” Ian Martin, the head of Disability Cricket in English Cricket Board (ECB) said, while giving an emotional speech at the Long Room post the match.

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The date, venue and the result of the match all made for a tremendous coincidence- 42 years back, India, led by the legendary Kapil Dev, had clinched the 1983 World Cup on June 25 at Lord's in 1983. "We dedicate our team's historic win to Kapil Dev sir's team's 1983 World-Cup winning team," said India’ Mixed Disability team captain Ravindra Sante. Both teams wore black armbands during the match to mourn the passing away of former India left-arm spinner Dilip Doshi on Monday in London.




June 25 is incidentally celebrated as the 'World Mixed Disability Day.' The fixture at Lord's formed part of the Cricket Disability Day, and was the biggest ever one-off showcase of disability cricket, as it was the first time that India and England's mixed Disability teams played at Lord's. Hosted by the MCC, ECB and Lord's Taverners, the game was the showpiece event of this series.

India's Mixed Disability team is now trailing 2-1 in the series after losing the first two matches at Taunton and Wormsley Cricket Club. In a first, all the seven matches of the series are being streamed live on Sony Liv.

Led by a magnificent show with the ball by seamer Vivek Kumar (three for 16 in three overs) and left-arm spinner and captain Ravindra Sante (three for eight in four overs), India's Mixed Disability team restricted England to just 123 for nine in 20 overs after the hosts elected to bat first. A. Brown was the lone warrior for England with a brilliant half-century (77, 47b, 5x4, 5x6). Brown added 35 for the ninth wicket with A Pyle (4 not out) off just 17 balls to help England cross the 100-run mark. He took 18 off the last over bowled by spinner Tarun, smashing him for two sixes, to give the hosts' total some respectability after they had collapsed to 49 for seven in 12 overs.




Staving off a superb fightback by England with the ball, India scampered to the target in the final over, losing eight wickets. The hero of the chase was middle-order batter Sai Akash, who made 44.

There are four more matches left in the series, with the next game to be played on Friday (June 27) at Worcester.

Brief Scores: England's Mixed Disability team 123-8 in 20 overs (A Brown 77; Vivek Kumar 3-8, Ravindra Sante 3-8) lost to India's Mixed Disability team 124-8 in 19.1 overs (Sai Akash 44) by two wickets.

ECB to launch special England vs India Women's series trailer
Ahead of this summer’s England Women versus India Women's series in England, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has teamed up with award-winning British-Indian director, Gurinder Chadha of Bend It Like Beckham fame to create a trailer celebrating the upcoming series.

Chadha’s first women’s sports film in more than 20 years, the new trailer stars England women’s team players Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Lauren Filer and Heather Knight to tell the story of the fierce rivalry between the two teams.

The India vs England women's white-ball series starts with the first T20I on June 28 at Trent Bridge.