'Cricket is my passion and my life'

Raymond Moxly of the Australian T20 blind cricket world cup team is a man like no other. Metrolife caught up with the cricketer to find out about the nuances of the sport and his contribution to it.

“I belong to the B3 category because I am partially sighted. It does mean that I have an edge over others, which is why there are a limited number of people in B3 in each team,” explains Raymond. “The game is set up so that B1s score double runs. A minimum of 40 per cent of all overs bowled have to be bowled by them, which gives them a better chance to contribute in the game,” he adds.

A fast bowler, he has already made quite a name for himself in the blind cricket fraternity for his many moments of glory. “In this Bangalore series, our win against West Indies was my highlight. I took three wickets and two runouts and it was wonderful to contribute to the team win,” smiles the 39-year-old.

“In my entire career, my personal best was when I took eight wickets against New Zealand. But my most important contribution was when I took four wickets in a single over against England, which helped us win the first game in the Ashes series. That was a very big victory for us,” he notes.

If he’s not playing cricket, one can find him spending time with his family. “I have three young children and a beautiful wife. It’s difficult to juggle family and cricket, especially right now when my wife’s home alone with a four-year-old, a six-year-old and an eight-year-old!” shares the cricketer. “But, she understands that cricket is my passion and my life and she knew that before she married me.”

Being a fitness freak, he is always on the move, either running, swimming or bike riding. But when it comes to cricket training, it’s usually only when the whole team meets. “We get together only around twice a year for weekend training camps.

That’s all we can afford to do. We usually do a national tournament every two years nationally and international tournament every year or 18 months,” he wraps up.