Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday inaugurated the first-ever international cricket tournament for disabled people in capital Dhaka.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with Bangladesh's Ministry of Youth and Sports, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), organized the five-nation international cricket tournament.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India and Pakistan participated in the tournament.

The hosts will face England in the opening match on Wednesday.

Organizers said the nine-day tournament aims at creating and raising disability awareness across the world.

Although the tournament was to be inaugurated in a gala ceremony on the field, the incessant rain from morning here forced the organizers to hold it simply inside a room in the stadium after about an hour delay.

In her speech at the ceremony, the Bangladeshi prime minister said the physically challenged have contributed to all sections of the society and questioned why cricket should be any different.

Paralympics and cricket tournament for the blind have shown how the physically-challenged can bring honor to their countries, she said.

"The physically challenged are not our burden, they can be our asset," said Bangladesh ICRC head of delegation Christine Cipolla while thanking all stake holders' concern for efforts to hold the tournament successfully. Endi

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