By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –

THE Zambia Cricket Union (ZCU) has taken a rare step in its ambitious drive to expand the game’s popularity by integrating people with various disabilities into playing the sport.
This follows the introducing the game of cricket to children with disabilities at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Special School whose involvement in sport is usually minimal.
Already, the ZCU has handed over cricket equipment to UTH Special School which has two sections, namely, the Mainstream and the Speech and Hearing Sections.
The Speech and Hearing Section consists of pupils who are deaf while the Mainstream has pupils who have Down syndrome, mental disability and those that are physically handicapped.
ZCU committee member Yandikani Ng’andu, who handed over the equipment at the weekend, assured the school of maximum support from ZCU towards the development of the game.
“We are passionate about the spreading of the game to all the people in the country. We have decided to come here because we see that these pupils need activities like sports to help them and we shall be here to help you all the way,”he said.
He expressed gratitude to the school for welcoming the idea of having the game of cricket played at their institution and the interest they had shown in having the pupils get involved in cricket activities.
Receiving the kit, school manager Mutolo Phiri Lusaka, thanked ZCU for considering UTH Special School by bringing the game of cricket to them as not many sporting associations consider them as a result of their disabilities.
She further requested the cricket body to continue supporting them by educating their sports teachers with cricket courses.
“In addition, I want to request you that the game of cricket be extended to other schools with deaf pupils within Lusaka like Munali, Lusaka Girls, Bauleni and Kanyama,” she said.