LAHORE  -  Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council, has been re-elected as President of World Blind Cricket Council for the upcoming two-year term. Rajanish Henry from India was successfully elected as the Secretary General. The 26th General Council meeting of World Blind Cricket Council took place at a local hotel in Multan, with representatives from the cricket boards of Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan in attendance. Officials from India, England, and New Zealand participated online. Other elected officials include Nepal’s Pawan Ghimire as First Vice President, South Africa’s Isaac Bidla as Second Vice President, Australia’s Raymond Moxley as Global Development Director, Pakistan’s Tahir Mehmood Butt as Technical Director, and India’s Chandrashekhar as Finance Director. South Africa’s Michael De Silva was elected as Assistant Secretary, Sri Lanka’s Sudesh Tharanga as Director of Public Relations, and the Regional Development Directors include Bangladesh’s Moin Iqbal for Asia and South Africa’s Ndumiso Nyawose for the African region. The members approved the minutes of the previous meeting. After being re-elected as the President of WBCC, Syed Sultan Shah thanked the cricket boards of all blind cricket-playing nations for re-electing him to the position. He expressed plans to introduce new reforms in blind cricket and take steps to promote the sport in countries like the United States and Kenya. New dark glasses for B1 players have been introduced.

Sultan Shah said: “Pakistan and India are among the top teams in world blind cricket and that both countries have a great working relationship. However, due to visa issues, the teams have not been able to play against each other. Therefore, it was decided that future World Cups and other international events will be held at neutral venues, allowing both countries to compete.”

Sultan Shah also lauded the services of former WBCC Secretary General Raymond Moxley for blind cricket. It was decided at the meeting that, going forward, no player can participate in international competitions without obtaining a site classification certificate from the International Blind Sports Association.