Deaf Cricket Games

Australia's Deaf cricket team, coached by Jason Mathers has been waiting to play again but COVID has prevented all international competition.

With lockdown restrictions easing, plans for next year are being made. The National Inclusion Cricket Championships (Deaf, Blind, and Intellectually Disabled) have been penciled in for next April in Geelong, with squads chosen from that tournament to take part in some international matches in Darwin during winter 2022.

Coach Jason Mathers thinks it's an important time to recruit players who don't yet know they're eligible to represent their state and country.

What is Deaf cricket?

The basic rule around eligibility is that if you require a hearing aid you probably qualify. The technical benchmark is 55 decibels — a quiet conversation without other distractions comes in at about 50 decibels.

Communication within deaf teams varies. Some players use Auslan (Australian sign language), others talk and sign, and some talk.

Hearing aids are banned during games, so all cricketers are on a level playing field.

The following story has been adapted from the original ABC article written by Paul Kennedy on the 13th of October.