Majid Magray was on 48 when he launched his 15th ball over the boundary at Lord’s on Aug19.
The six brought up his 50 off 15 balls. He finished unbeaten on 63 off 19 as India beat England in the seventh and final Mixed Disability IT20.
For the 36-year-old from the Anchidora locality of Anantnag town, the innings came at Lord’s, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
For Magray, walking onto the historic ground in an India jersey and leading the side made the occasion even more special.
“It was a different feeling altogether. You see photographs and portraits of all these great players there. To walk onto that ground wearing the India jersey and lead the team was something special,” Magray said after returning from England.
The Lord’s galleries feature portraits and photographs of cricket greats, including W.G. Grace, Sir Donald Bradman, Viv Richards, Richard Hadlee, Clive Lloyd, Brian Lara, Ian Botham, Shane Warne, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Zaheer Abbas.
India posted 206, with Arjun Gawre of Nagpur scoring 68 off 44 balls and Sai Akash Saivamani of Chennai making 48 off 38.
England was bundled out for 88.
Hilal Ahmad Wani of Akad, Anantnag, took four wickets, while Jayesh Parmar of West Bengal claimed three. Wani finished the series with 11 wickets from four matches.
The match was the seventh and final fixture of the series. India won three games and England four.
One of India’s defeats came by two runs off the final ball.
“It was a closely fought contest. The match where we lost by two runs went to the wire, to the last ball. We couldn’t face the pressure and buckled. Otherwise, we would have won,” Magray said.
Magray’s 15-ball fifty was quicker than Kapil Dev’s 35-ball Test fifty against England in 1982. Liam Livingstone scored a 25-ball ODI fifty at Lord’s against Australia in 2024.
Magray began playing physical disability cricket in 2018 and made his India debut in 2024. Since then, he has represented India in that category and has now also made it to Mixed Disability Cricket.
Earlier this year, he was part of India’s winning T20 Champions Trophy campaign in Mixed Disability Cricket, which featured England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Mixed Disability Cricket has three categories- physical disability, learning disability, and deaf and hard of hearing.
Three cricketers from Kashmir represented India in the tournament. Magray came from the physical disability category, Wani from the deaf and hard-of-hearing category, and Rizwan Ahmad of Kupwara from the learning disability category.
Magray was not born with a disability.
An accident when he was in Class 8 left him with a locomotor disability and disrupted his studies.
He later returned to cricket, initially playing alongside non-disabled cricketers before entering competitive disability cricket.
“I got the best possible treatment but remained bedridden for over a year. The disability, however, remained with me forever,” Magray said.
The game has also evolved in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We used to play matting cricket. For the past three years, we have shifted to turf cricket as facilities have improved,” he said.
Tap-ball cricket has increasingly given way to the cricket ball, mostly Kookaburra.
Magray said better equipment and infrastructure had helped differently abled cricket gain recognition.
After the England tour, the Indian team met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and raised issues concerning differently abled cricketers.
“He gave us a patient hearing and assured us of addressing them,” Magray said.
At 36, Magray said managing his workload had become important.
“Earlier, age was on my side. Now age is catching up, and I have to be very selective about the matches I play. In professional cricket, we have trainers, and that makes things easier,” he said.
He credits his parents, brother and sister for standing by him throughout his journey.
His message to other differently abled people is simple.
“Don’t let your disability dominate you. Overcome it and you will do what other people do.”
England won the series 4-3. But for Magray, the numbers from Lord’s will endure – 63 off 19, including a 15-ball fifty, while captaining India.
About The Author
