STRIKE: Vice president of CABN, Jemadar Bikram Bahadur Rana, who was also blinded in an ambush during the war, bats as he practices with friends.

Every Saturday afternoon a small field in Bhrikuti Mandap is crowded by a group playing cricket. There are fielders grappling for the jingling ball and a batsman with dark shades taking energetic runs. All of the players are blind.

The Cricket Association of the Blind, Nepal (CABN) was formed only three years ago but it has already come a long way. There are 400 registered visually impaired cricket players under the association and at least 300 more who play informally. There are eight regional clubs including those from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and Rupandehi.

The association conducts several inter-club, regional and even international matches throughout the year. Pawan Ghimire, who is an army captain, started the club with the help of the Pakistani embassy after he was blinded during an ambush in the war five years ago. He believes that being part of the association helps increase the confidence of its members. It provides a safety net of friendship and support for the players, most of whom were visually impaired since they were children. Says Pawan: "Cricket makes us feel like we have a purpose again."

Cricket is also practical in terms of space, number of people utilised, and safety. But besides that, playing in the outdoors serves as a form of physical therapy. New cricketers find that within a few months of playing, even crossing the roads becomes less challenging.

Most players are college students, while a few like Pawan have jobs and families. Some players coach school children in their spare time. The Laboratory School, which has many visually impaired students, already has its own junior cricket club. Nepal has the world's first all-girls cricket club as well. On the cricket field, the scorer is deaf and the umpire is physically challenged, but Pawan is already thinking ahead. He wants to form the world's first wheelchair cricket club and has started preparations.

Blind cricket is played in only 30 countries across the world and Nepal is one of the ten to be registered under the World Blind Cricket Association and will be participating in the 2010 world cup. The same field is used for blind cricket during the world cup and besides the ball, and the bowling tactic, all the equipment used is the same.

Pawan, who is completely blind, says, "How we play the sport may be different. But we are capable within our own abilities." While dreams are plenty, funds are low. "There is hesitation from potential investors because they haven't heard about blind cricket," says Sugam Bhattarai. Pawan, Sugam and Bikram used their own pocket money to buy prizes for the first matches.

But once people learn that they are cricketers, the players gain the acceptance and esteem that they are proud of. Some have recieved scholarships from the Pakistani government. Most players have come to believe in the big bold letters at the CABN office: "Blindness is a gift."