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Cricket: England skipper on the day a noisy crowd almost stopped play at the World Cup

Mark Lawford
England disability skipper Ian Nairn told Yahoo Sport about the different levels of disabilities in the team
England disability skipper Ian Nairn told Yahoo Sport about the different levels of disabilities in the team

England’s Disability cricket team skipper Ian Nairn insists what he does is far from remarkable and that people with disabilities just get on with life.

Speaking at the launch of NatWest’s ‘Cricket has no boundaries’ campaign, Nairn told Yahoo Sport that losing a foot at birth means ‘the norm’ for him is only having one leg and he does not consider it a disadvantage.

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“There are various levels of disability in the England and we just get with life – there are always challenges so just overcome them. We are no different from anyone else.

He said: “I have run round on a prosthetic leg all my life – that’s normal for me. I have no flexibilty in my ankle so cannot get into position as well or as quickly as the Roots and Morgans but I can get into the positions.

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“We have cerebral palsy, birth limb losses, club feet – any physical impairment would allow you into the team – such as missing hands and arms. But some of the things they can do are amazing – they make up for what they lack with amazing senses.”

Problems

Nairn also revealed that the 2015 Blind and Visually Impaired World Cup suffered odd problems when the crowd were so noisy that players could not hear the ball.

The game is played with a ball that rattles and excited crowds in Bangladesh were drowning out the sound.

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He added that the Disability team’s biggest game ever never happened as rain washed it out when a crowd of 60,000 was expected.

Nairn, who lost a foot at birth, plays mainstream cricket in Chester-le-Street and has a top score of 190.

Ian Nairn was speaking during the launch of NatWest’s ‘Cricket has no boundaries’ campaign which celebrates the sport’s inclusivity. NatWest is the new Principal Partner of England Cricket having supported the game since 1981. Find out more at natwest.com/cricket #NoBoundaries