“We never had that experience back home,” said all-rounder Flynn, the English player and batsman of the tournament.
England won the first-ever such tournament featuring five nations including Bangladesh, though hosts Bangladesh defeated them in the rain deferred opening match on Sep 4.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the organiser of the tournament, took the initiative to highlight the plight of the physically challenged for their better social integration.
“The tournament has been a fantastic experience,” the victorious English captain Iain Nairn told bdnews24.com.
This despite the awkward initial experience of his wheelchair bound head of the team Ian Martin failing to enter the Mirpur stadium during the inauguration as there were no ramps there.
“Hospitality wise everybody (players) was so pleased, and felt very acceptable,” he said. "People used to come to have photos with them and take autographs."
The England disability cricket team on Friday visited the British High Commission Staff Amenities Centre at Baridhara before flying back when its captain, vice captain Flynn and top order batsman Matt Blamire shared their experiences with bdnews24.com.
The England disability cricket wing has helped Bangladesh cricket board to form its own disability cricket team for the tournament.
The UK government also supports projects at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed at Savar.
The captain said it took “10 to 15 years for them to get to the level where we are today”.
“But the potential is far greater here in Bangladesh than England,” he said.
Nairn has lost his leg in a planned amputation when he was 16 months of age, due to a congenital birth deformity.
He came from a cricketing family, with his grandfather, father, uncle, and brother all playing. “It didn’t take long to get me interested in cricket, with a bat in my hand before I lost my leg”.
His family was his inspiration to play.
“We are fortunate that we have high tech prosthetics. We have 2 degree advantage (over Bangladesh). But we also have disadvantage of having smaller population than Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan”.
He referred to the talent hunt camps that the England cricket board helped Bangladesh with to form its team, and said hundreds of players came from which they recommended only 25 players who could play.
“That’s the difference. Potentially you have 10 times more population than we have,” the English captain said.
He said “the noise” Bangladeshi supporters made “we never experienced that”.
“Within seven and eight months you got a team which had been competitive at the tournament. Then you give another six months, it could be even better and better,” he said.
Flynn agreed with captain and said “Even three years ago we could not dream to have a tournament like this.
“We are surprised by that,” he said, “Every single game was competitive.
“We played good cricket, standard cricket”.
He had titanium knee replacement on his right leg in 2009 when he was diagnosed with bone cancer that required him to have a knee reconstruction.
He loves cricket and representing his country at the sport he loves was the “best aspect” of being a part of the England cricket team.
He dreamt to score the first every century for his team.
Top order batsman Matthew Blamire suffered an industrial accident in 2009, which resulted in having his left leg amputated below the knee.
“The best aspect for me is that even though we are a physical disability team, the thought of being disabled doesn’t even enter our minds, as far as we are,” he said.
“The first time I walked out onto the pitch on my first tour to Dubai was the best cricketing memory”, he is carrying.
“I just remember the sense of accomplishment and a realisation of how far I had come in the five years since my accident”.
He said when people think disability cricket “they think tennis or soft ball cricket. The standard is not so high (people think). This tournament was so different … just look at the standards of the game in this tournament”.
As ICRC is looking forward to organise such tournaments in future, the England players hope that more countries would form teams and join the tournament in future.
“We all enjoyed coming to Bangladesh. We would like to go to Australia, New Zealand and Caribbean as well. It needs the ICC to come together and bring cricket together,” the captain said.
They also stressed on organising more games at the bilateral level.
“The beauty of this tournament is to see on the national TV, if 5 and 10 million watch it, then 5 and 10 million more people know about disability cricket,” he said.
“We can highlight what cricket is about (for the people with disabilities).
“You want people not to say that’s disable cricket. Just that’s very good cricket and they are disabled. Your disability comes second.
“If you see the highlights of the matches, it’s quite comparable (with the able bodied cricket),” he said.
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