Disability Cricket: Formats, Governance, and Inclusion
How disability cricket is organised — physical disability, learning disability, blind, deaf, and wheelchair cricket — and how the ICC and national boards support inclusive cricket.
Disability cricket is cricket adapted for players with a range of physical and cognitive disabilities. While often less visible than the mainstream game, disability cricket has a rich competitive history — World Cups, international bilateral series, and national domestic competitions exist across multiple disability categories.
Categories of Disability Cricket
- Physical Disability (PD) Cricket: For players with physical impairments in the upper or lower limbs. Fully functional cricket format, played on standard pitches, with adaptations for individual players' requirements.
- Learning Disability (LD) Cricket: For players with learning disabilities. The Learning Disability World Cricket Series has been contested since 2009.
- Blind Cricket: Played with a ball containing bells and a verbal cue system. More on this below.
- Deaf Cricket: For players who are deaf or hard of hearing. The World Deaf Cricket Championship has been contested since 1996.
- Wheelchair Cricket: Adapted for electric wheelchair users. Played in indoor arenas.
ICC and Disability Cricket
The ICC Cricket with a disability program supports the physical disability and learning disability formats at international level. National boards — including Cricket Australia, ECB, and BCCI — run disability cricket programs providing pathways from grassroots to international cricket.
Physical Disability Cricket
PD cricket has World Cup competitions, with England, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India among the strongest nations. Matches are played over 20 or 40 overs. Players are classified by their specific disability to ensure competitive fairness between different types of physical impairment.
Frequently asked questions
What formats does disability cricket include?
Disability cricket covers physical disability cricket, learning disability cricket, blind cricket, deaf cricket, and wheelchair cricket. Each format has adapted rules while maintaining the essence of cricket — batting, bowling, fielding, and competition.
Does ICC support disability cricket?
Yes — the ICC runs a disability cricket program covering physical disability (PD) and learning disability (LD) formats at international level. Many national boards also have dedicated disability cricket development programs within their participation and grassroots structures.
How is cricket adapted for disabled players?
Adaptations vary by disability type. Physical disability cricket makes individual accommodations (e.g. a one-armed batter may have a different LBW rule application). Blind cricket uses a bell ball and verbal cues. Deaf cricket uses visual signals. Wheelchair cricket uses adapted batting and bowling techniques.