Short Rules

For those who just want the basics this page outlines the major differences between Blind Cricket and Sighted Cricket.

Basic Rule Changes

The game is not that different to the one you see on television and in the parks throughout the summer today. The main variations are:-

• The team is made up of a mixture of vision impaired and totally blind players

• The ball is bowled under arm

• The ball must bounce at least twice before reaching the batsman

• Batsmen may be restricted in the time they can spend at the crease

• A totally blind bowler uses a caller whilst bowling

A part from these minor alterations to the rules, the game of Blind Cricket is very similar to the game we all know.

The Ball

The game did not begin with the average red six-stitcher, the first balls were woven out of cane in a basket-weave fashion around a wire frame (the result of the first players being workshop employees). Inside the ball is a piece of lead for weight and four or five bottle tops which make an audible sound when bowled, hit or thrown. Today, the balls are woven with nylon tubing and are coloured black to contrast with the white concrete pitch for the benefit of the vision impaired players.

The ball is not completely round and this tends to make the ball kick, bounce, turn sharply and hurt sometimes when hit. This combined with the ability of some bowlers to bowl the ball at a speed in excess of 80 k.p.h and this makes the game fast moving and exciting to watch.