ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s blind cricket team defeated England on Thursday to complete a clean sweep of their league games of the IBSA World Games 2023, securing a berth in the final of the tournament.
The green shirts, who remain unbeaten in the tournament, cruised to a victory over hosts England by six wickets courtesy of yet another stellar performance by skipper Nisar Ali, whose 35-run blitz helped Pakistan cross the finishing line to victory.
Pakistan bowled first, restricting England to 103 runs before batting second and completing the run-chase.
“With a clean sweep in league games, Pakistan secures a spot in the Finals!” the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) wrote on the social media platform X.
Pakistan made an impressive start to the tournament by beating arch-rivals India by 18 runs on Monday before going on to beat Bangladesh and Australia in subsequent matches.
The 2023 IBSA World Games is the largest high-level international event for athletes with visual impairment, with over 1,250 competitors taking part from 70 nations. The tournament kicked off from August 14 and is scheduled to continue till August 27, and is being held at the University of Birmingham, across the Edgbaston and wider region.
The 2023 edition of the tournament features three paralympic and seven non-paralympic sports; archery, chess, cricket, men’s blind football, partially sighted football, women’s blind football, goalball (male/female), judo, powerlifting, showdown, ten pin, bowling and tennis.
