Disabled cricketers strive for recognition in Pakistan

KARACHI (AFP) — Polio withered Salim Karim's right leg when he was a child and a motorbike accident in his teens seriously damaged his left but though he can barely walk, he is the driving force behind disabled cricket in Pakistan.

Karim, 42, set up a team for physically impaired people with two friends in 2006 and they now run the pioneering Disabled Cricket Association of Pakistan.

"I started this team with a vision to make all physically impaired people realise that they can live a life without any worries and I am happy that the cause has been served," Karim told AFP.

The determination to overcome their physical impediments is a common theme amongst the teammates and they play an important role in a country where health facilities and opportunities for disabled people are rudimentary at best.

Farhan Saeed, an amputee, bowls with the aid of a stick ...