Photo Credit: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia has announced the Australian squad for the 2022 T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in India.
Australia will travel to New Delhi in India on 4 December where they will play T20 matches against Sri Lanka, South Africa and Nepal, before then heading to Indore to battle the host country India. The team then heads to Mumbai to face Bangladesh and travels on to Bangalore for the final match against Pakistan.
Throughout these matches the team will be aiming to reach the knockout stages with the semi-finals and final to be held on 15 and 17 December respectively.
It is the first time the Australian blind squad will tour internationally since the onset of the pandemic and follows their fellow national disability compatriots tour in September of the UAE where Australia’s deaf team competed admirably.
Long-term captain Matthew McCarthy will lead a squad which includes the uncapped 15 year old Oliver Fanshawe from Queensland.
Australia’s national disability squads made their long-awaited return to international cricket at the CommBank International Cricket Inclusion Series in Brisbane, in June 2022. The Australian deaf and ID squad hosted an Ashes series, playing five T20s and three ODIs against England, while the Australian blind team played five T20s and two ODIs against New Zealand.
NB: To arrange interviews with any of the squad members please call Greg Smith on 0438 777 164.
National Blind Squad:
Matthew McCarthy © (Nundah, QLD)
Michael Berg (High Wycombe, WA)
Ned Brewer-Maiga (Point Lonsdale, VIC)
Bradley Brider (Joondalup, WA)
Matthew Cameron (Butler, WA)
Oliver Fanshawe (Pullenvale, QLD)
Shaun Fitzpatrick (Smithfield, NSW)
Lachlan Hayward (Langwarrin, VIC)
Ryan Honschooten (Gosnells, WA)
Sean Kendrick (West Lake, QLD)
Jack Murphy (Keperra, QLD)
Steve Obeid (St Albans, VIC)
Oscar Stubbs (Glenwood, NSW)
Reuben Fairbank (Walkley Heights, SA)
Lachlan Wallace (Adelaide, SA)
Michael Zannis (Rostrevor, SA)
Jack McAllster (Pimpana, QLD)
Coach: Mechelle Hare (Seaforth, NSW)
Assistant Coach: Daniel Drew (Blue Haven, NSW)
Team Manager: David Penn
CA: David Drew
Doctor: Hiran Rajapaske
Physiotherapist: Namita Mehta
Security Manager: Stephen Jeffrey
Thanks to CommBank, cricket is the first non-Paralympic Australian sport to fully fund national disability squads.
Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia CEO said:
“It’s wonderful to see our national inclusion squads touring internationally again this year.
“We were proud to host the CommBank International Inclusion Series in Brisbane in June, so we’re very excited to see our national blind squad tour India for the T20 Blind World Cup, off the back of our national deaf team’s tour of the UAE.
“There is a clear pathway for cricketers with a disability to play for their country on the global stage, in large thanks to the great support from CommBank.
“Our national inclusion teams play an incredibly important role in inspiring Australians of all abilities to play cricket, and we can’t wait to see our team represent us and the game on the international stage.”
