India T20s are giant leap for England’s disability cricket team

While the windscreens of nearby parked cars remained frozen, England’s mixed disability cricket squad meandered across the field for a grass net. Their venue was the ECB’s National Cricket Performance Centre; their cause the last day of what was their final winter training camp ahead of a historic tour – a five-match T20 series against India that begins in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. It is the side’s inaugural overseas trip.

A few minutes earlier, in a vast, echoing indoor school, head coach Jason Weaver addressed the squad. He opened with a recap of the previous day’s messages, while also gently ribbing Yorkshire all-rounder Henry Wainman for his new facial hair. Weaver emphasised the need for his players to apply “pressure” on India in order to succeed. “It’s about raising intensity, pressuring the batters and the bowlers. These are our plans and what we want to do.”

Following a player-led warm-up, it was on to Loughborough’s marquee, just about still standing after recent storms.

The squad used their net session to run through a series of batting and bowling scenarios, while up in the ECB’s offices Neil Bradshaw, disability cricket operations manager, and team manager Jen Sitch sorted a mountain of freshly delivered kit, breaking off to finalise travel arrangements. “All a bit manic,” said Bradshaw, laughing. “But we’ll get there.”

There is much pride at the ECB about its role in championing disability cricket. They were the first to amalgamate three of the impairment grounds – deaf, physical disability (PD) and learning disability (LD) – into one format, starting domestically with the Disability Premier League. That tournament has now run for four summers, with the final televised live on Sky Sports.

Last year, mixed disability cricket was trialled internationally for the first time, with England defeating India 6-1 in a home T20 series. A game on the main ground at Lord’s was the highlight, on and off the pitch, with representatives of other major cricketing boards invited to a conference essentially to persuade them of the format’s merits.

The key issue was that, while England previously ran deaf, PD and LD sides (as well as having a visually impaired team), they were unique. For example, tourists India had set up both deaf and PD teams but did not play LD cricket internationally. England’s pool of potential opponents was therefore limited, and the room for improvement small.

The mixed format contains rule restrictions designed to ensure fairness. Each XI must contain at least three players from each impairment group, with a batter in the top four and at least five overs to be bowled by someone in each group. That made it difficult for India last summer given the inexperience of their LD players, and England took full advantage. They expect their opponents to be stronger in that department now.

The ECB’s hope was always that other countries would follow its lead, and both South Africa and Australia are currently creating mixed disability teams. There is some resistance among players, who cite losses of identity and opportunity, while there are also challenges with integrating impairment groups. However, key attractions for boards are funding – running one team is significantly cheaper than having three – and a driving up of standards.

For Callum Flynn, previously the captain of the England PD team and skipper for the upcoming tour, mixed disability cricket has been a learning curve.

“You have the obvious challenge of improving sign language, but it is also about making sure everyone feels comfortable socialising together,” he said.

“Similarly, with the LD lads I have to think about how and when I pass them information and plans in order to get the best out of them. It’s been really exciting and I think I’ve come on as a captain because of it.”

The Loughborough weekend that The Observer visited also included a session with sports psychologist Ellie-May Storr, who helps players by working on self-confidence and how they can use their mental toolkits while abroad. Visualisation and accessing the people around them were deemed vital.

On the Saturday night, the 30-strong touring party came together for a Q&A about what to expect from India. Storr facilitated a discussion with Chris Highton, Maroof Khan – two of the three assistants on coach Weaver’s coaching team, the other being Jigar Naik, head of Leicestershire’s talent pathway – and Bradshaw all panellists.

It was “relaxed and done in a fun way, but with a serious edge to it”, Bradshaw said. “It was especially relevant for the LD squad members because their anxiety levels are more likely to be raised. We’ve worked hard in the last 18 months to create a safe environment, encouraging people to be humble and vulnerable.”

The session covered what the players can “expect from a cricketing and cultural point of view,” he continued. It also touched on “some of the challenges they may face on a moral level, in terms of the poverty and how different it might be, as well as basic stuff like accessing cash, having SIM cards so they can stay in touch with friends and family, and drinking bottled water.”

Flynn – who was diagnosed with bone cancer on his 14th birthday and has a titanium reconstruction of his lower right leg – cannot wait to get going. “Winning in India is the hardest thing to do in cricket,” he said.

Flynn has previously unsuccessfully toured the country with the PD squad. “Hopefully this is the tour where we get that chip off our shoulder.”

Photographs by Richard Saker for The Observer