In the opening match of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Blind Games in Birmingham, the Pakistan cricket team defeated India by 18 runs, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.
The Indian VI team, after winning the toss at King Edward’s School ground, invited Pakistan’s visually-impaired team to bat first on Sunday.
Pakistan, donning the Green Shirts, managed to score 187 runs while losing eight wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
Muhammad Salman contributed 50 runs off 31 deliveries, with Captain Nisar Ali adding 46 runs off 33 balls and Badar Munir contributing 37 runs from 24 balls.
Ajay Kumar Reddy took four wickets for India’s visually-impaired team, while Nakula Badanayak claimed three Pakistani batsmen.
In response, India was limited to 169 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs.
At one point, they needed 38 runs from the last three overs, but Matiullah delivered an exceptional 18th over, conceding only four runs.
India’s fortunes dwindled as they lost three wickets, including a run-out, collapsing from 150 runs for three wickets to 154 runs for six wickets. Sunil Ramesh of India VI scored 62 runs, while Durga Rao Tompaki contributed 40 runs.
Matiullah of Pakistan VI secured two wickets, and five Indian batsmen were run out. Pakistan’s next game will be against Bangladesh on Tuesday.