On a lush cricket ground outside Colombo the sharp jingling of a ball cuts through the afternoon air. Every rattle is a pushback against the stigma of disability.

Sri Lanka and India are co-hosting the first T20 World Cup for visually impaired women.

The semi-finals are on Saturday between India and Australia and Pakistan and Nepal, followed by the final on Sunday.

India manager Shika Shetty told AFP that the sport has transformed lives and helped change attitudes.

"I think this (world cup) is one of the biggest opportunities for our visually impaired girls," said Shetty, who is not blind.

India captain T.C. Deepika recalled the disbelief she faced when she first picked up the bat.

"People were saying, 'How do they do it? They must be lying,'" she said in a video posted by the Cricke

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