Blind Cricket South Africa tours Pakistan these days. Here, three ODIs and just as many T20s stand and stood on the schedule. The ODIs took place at the Southern Club Cricket Ground in Karachi. And the T20s will be played at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. You can watch all the matches in this tour on the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council YouTube channel.
The fact that Blind Cricket South Africa can gather this valuable experience owes a lot to Hollywoodbets. Because: The bookie sponsored the players and the staff in terms of match as well as training kits and contributed to the travel costs. Thus, the leading bookie in South Africa distinguished itself with a remarkable CSR project and the blind cricket team benefits from a massive boost.
The bookie commits itself to blind cricket for a more than two years now
However, this doesn’t constitute Hollywoodbets’ first sponsorship for South African blind cricket. On the contrary, the cooperation began more than two years ago. Hollywoodbets’ brand and communications manager, Devin Heffer, explained: “We began our sponsorship of Blind Cricket in January 2020. At the time, we supported the South African blind team in their ODI and T20 series against New Zealand. The blind Proteas won by a clear margin. The passion and commitment of these athletes overwhelmed us, and we wanted to get more involved.”
Heffer said this in the context of the news that the South African bookie became the main sponsor of the KZN Blind Cricket team. In this regard, the partnership includes a purple playing kit, training outfits and the cricket as well as travel equipment. Furthermore, Hollywoodsbets assumed the same role at the Blind Cricket South Africa (BCSA) National Tournament, which took place last year from 4 to 7 October. Here, it financed accommodations for all teams, their meals, the preparation, and rental of the fields as well as the COVID-19 Tests. Additionally, the betting site provided the live streaming.
Blind cricket is growing in popularity
Blind cricket represents the fastest growing sport for visually impaired people, and not just in South Africa. This is partly thanks to the fact that it represents one of the few disciplines that can be played by both blind and visually impaired people.
As in normal cricket, the game is played with a ball that contains a metal ball bearing. Thus, the players receive audible signals. Moreover, the stumps are larger and, on top of that, painted in fluorescent colours. This ensures that the visually impaired athletes can orient themselves better.
