England blind ready for next step

Jason Bowen is keen for England blind to measure their progress against current world champions Pakistan

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Jason Bowen, head coach of the England blind team, claims the next week will serve as the ultimate test for his players.

England are enjoying a purple patch in the visually impaired arena, having followed up their crushing series victory against West Indies last summer by winning the Ashes in Australia over the winter.

They meet Pakistan at Moseley CC tomorrow in the first of three one-day internationals in five days, before New Road hosts the first blind Twenty20 international on Sunday.

The arrival of Pakistan, who won the most recent World Cup in 2006, represents a step up in class for England – but Bowen insists he would not have it any other way.

“Pakistan and India are ahead of everybody else because they have a much bigger group of players to choose from,” he told ecb.co.uk.

“We took on West Indies last year and we walked all over them, and with a World Cup coming up in 2011, we want to gauge ourselves and know where we’re at.

“Pakistan are the reigning world champions, so we thought we’d take on the best.”

Blind cricket – and disability cricket in general – has grown in popularity in recent years, thanks in no small part to funding from the ECB and increased exposure.

Bowen is adamant that the ECB leads the way when it comes to the development of blind cricket, and sees similarities with the huge strides made by the women’s game in England.

The prospect of a blind Indian Premier League in the not-too-distant future suggests the television executives see a bright future for this format, and Bowen would love his players to have the chance to showcase their talents on the grandest stage.

“We have seen the ECB put money behind it, and put support behind it, which is just as important,” he added.

“It is constantly trying to improve us as coaches and players, and in the two years since I’ve been involved, I’ve seen so many improvements.

The England squad is unique in that it contains three pairs of siblings - the Turnhams, the Suggs and the Powers brothers

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“But in India some of the cricket is televised already, and they are now launching a blind IPL.

“We would love to be involved in something like that. It’s a brilliant concept and the more cricket we play the better.”

“Ideally, we want to get a game or two of blind cricket in this country on the TV as well.

“We are probably where women’s cricket was 10 years ago, so hopefully that’s not too far off.”

England can call upon the services of Nathan Foy, arguably the finest B1 cricketer in the world - B1 being the category for those players with no sight other than the ability to make out light and dark.

Foy smashed 192 off just 87 balls in the second one-day international against West Indies last year, and emerged as the key figure in England’s Ashes success.

He also has fond memories of facing Pakistan, having hit a scarcely believable 232 in the World Cup in the same year he made his international debut, followed by 200 in the final match of the one-day series to clinch a 2-1 win against the same opponents.

England are also unique in that they boast three pairs of brothers in their squad: Roy and Mark Turnham (B1); Matt, the captain, and Gavin Dean, who fall into the B2 category (players with a sight acuity of 2-60); and Andy and Dave Powers (B3).

The family theme does not end there - Luke Sugg, a middle-order batsman, is the son of tour manager Pete - and may go some way to explaining the close-knit nature of the England side, and the success they have had in recent times.

“It’s a strange situation, and there’s a chance that all of those players will feature at some point in the series,” Bowen said.

“We’re all looking forward to the series against a very strong side, so we’ll see where we are after that.”