NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 8 – The national men’s Deaf Cricket team has been trimmed to 20 as head coach Sarah Bhakita unveiled her traveling party on Thursday ahead of the inaugural World T20 Cricket Deaf Cricket Championships to be hosted in India, January 10-20, 2023.
The team was selected from a pool of 30 players who have been holding training for the past half year at the Unity Primary School in Umoja and will be skippered by Ben Warangai who is optimistic Kenya will leave a mark in the global tournament.
The team is expected to head to residential training camp from January 3 and are scheduled to depart to India January 8, 2023.
“It was too good an opportunity to let go so I joined the team. We have been training for the past six months and we began when we were very few. As you can see, the number has really increased. Personally, I started playing cricket when I was still in school at Aga Khan Primary School and I’ve played the sport since then,” the captain said.
Being a differently-abled athlete has come with its challenges with Warangai who believes the trip to India heralds a new dawn for members of the team.
“The journey has not been easy in terms of our career in cricket. Being a differently-abled athlete means you will always face challenges in training and in the game itself. That’s why we need the government’s support if we are to grow in tandem with our abled peers in cricket. For us, it would be the height of our careers to go to India and come back victorious. That is what we are dreaming of…to do our country proud.”
The head coach Bhakita said Kenya’s participation in the tournament is not a one-off thing but the beginning of a sustained effort towards opening up opportunities for talented Deaf cricketers at all levels of the societies to realise their potential at the highest level of their playing careers.
Part of the preparations for the players has been to incorporate them in cricket games with able-bodied partners, which has helped develop a competitive mentality within the team.
-TEAM SELECTED-
1. Emmanuel Muuo
2. Sebastian Kamua
3. Ben Warangai
4. Allan Wekesa
5. Like Junior
6. Paul Etemesi
7. Robert Mwaniki
8. Calvin’s Okoth
9. Kenneth Ragoja
10. Lazaro Mutual
11. Gilbert Edward
12. Festo Induswe
13. Simon Kinyumu
14. Kennedy Mudomu
15. Kelvin Njuguna
16. Peter Ouma
17. John Otieno
18. Joseph Ndungu
19. Moses Kuria
20. Fredrick Odhiambo
