Pakistan's disabled cricketer Matloob Qureshi's picture used as Indian tournament's logo

In a commendable move, Pakistan’s disabled cricketer Matloob Qureshi’s picture was used as the logo of a tournament which will be played in India. The tournament, which will be played in the 40-over-a-side format, will feature three teams and will run from November 30 to December 3.

While India and Pakistan share a willy-nilly relationship in every walk of life this initiative will convey a message of love across the border. This is the first time a Pakistani cricketer’s picture has been used as a logo of a tournament hosted in India.

Indian disabled players get central contract first time in history

Meanwhile, the BCCI is yet to recognise Indian disabled cricket team, as a result, the tiff with ICC continues. The board denied providing any financial allowance to the Indian disabled cricketers. Currently, Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India (PCCAI) is operating the team and providing financial amenities to the players.

Earlier, this year the PCCAI rewarded top 20 disabled cricketers a central contract for the first in the history. It is one of the three governing bodies that run physically challenged cricket in India. Grade A players will receive INR 30,000 per annum while the grade B and C players will receive INR 20,000 and INR 10,000 per annum respectively.

“This is just the beginning. It was in the pipeline for quite some time, but we are happy it has finally materialised. This is the best we could start with and we will increase the contract fee as we play more tournaments,” PCCAI’s general secretary Ravi Chauhan told Hindustan Times.

“Our intention was to provide some basic assured source of income to these cricketers as most of them don’t have regular jobs. A lot of them hail from poor backgrounds, so it will help them fund their academics or their cricket,” added Chauhan, who has raised money from sponsors and private entities.