THE KwaZulu-Natal Blind Cricket team is looking to cause a few upsets on home turf as they take on five other provincial teams at this year’s Blind Cricket National Tournament.
The teams, Free State, Boland, Western Province, Northern Gauteng, Central Gauteng and KZN, will be playing each other in a T20 format in a tournament held at Northwood School from Wednesday, 25 September to Saturday, 28 September.
Northglen News recently spoke with two players, Ndumiso Nyawose and Donovan van Noordwyk ahead of this week’s inter-provincial champs.
“We’ve been working really hard and our preparations for the upcoming tournament have been great. We also played the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in a friendly game which was also a great opportunity to grow the scope of the game,” Nyawose explained. “I encourage the residents of Durban to come out and get behind the KZN team. Our goal is to lift the trophy and cause a few upsets and I’m confident we can do that.”
Nyawose said he felt the sport deserved more recognition due to the highly challenging nature of blind cricket.
“I wasn’t visually impaired growing up but it’s only when I began to lose my eyesight that I learned about the KZN blind cricket team. I took the sport lightly initially because I felt it wouldn’t be tough but when I played it broke down all the misconceptions I had. I think this sport deserves more recognition and awareness and ultimately, support from residents around Durban. The commitment and passion of this team is something I feel will stand us in good stead against the other provincial teams,” he said.
Fellow KZN teammate, van Noordwyk, concurred with Nyawose.
“This is a highlight for the KZN team. We will be taking on the other province’s best cricketers so we are definitely looking to leave an impression. It also gives the players an opportunity to display their talent on the field. As captain of the team my goal is to see the team perform well. A few of the players are also aiming to be selected for the national squad as the blind cricket T20 world cup takes place next year in England,” he said.
For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram