BBG Sports Spotlight: Tatyana Tolliver-Hughes Is Making History in Blind Cricket

As Black History Month invites the country to reflect on both legacy and progress, Tatyana Tolliver-Hughes is making history in real time—on a global stage many Americans don’t even know exists.

The Charleston, West Virginia native recently represented the United States as a member of the first-ever U.S. Women’s Blind Cricket Team, competing in the inaugural Women’s T20 Blind Cricket World Cup held in India and Sri Lanka in late 2025. According to reporting by WCHS-TV, the newly formed U.S. team included 16 players and competed against six international teams, marking the first time the United States has fielded a women’s blind cricket team at the World Cup level.

Blind cricket is an adaptive version of the sport played internationally under established rules. Players rely on a specially designed ball that emits sound so it can be tracked by hearing rather than sight. Instead of running bases, athletes sprint between two wickets to score, making communication, timing, and teamwork essential. While the sport is played in multiple countries around the world, it remains largely unfamiliar to U.S. audiences.

Team USA was formed through a partnership between Samarthanam USA and the Cricket Association for the Blind in the United States of America, organizations working to expand access to blind cricket nationwide. As one of the newest teams on the international stage—and among the youngest rosters in the tournament—the U.S. squad entered the World Cup focused on growth, experience, and visibility rather than medals.

Tolliver-Hughes competed as an all-rounder, contributing in both batting and bowling, and also helped open games for Team USA, playing a role in building early scoring momentum, according to WCHS-TV.

What stood out most to her during the tournament was the makeup of the American team itself.

“There was truly no other team that looked like us,” Tolliver-Hughes said in an interview with WCHS-TV. “All the different ethnicities, languages, and ages—that’s something I’ve truly come to love about my country.”

Beyond the matches, the team participated in international media events and fan engagement tied to the first-ever Women’s Blind Cricket World Cup, helping bring visibility to women’s disability sports and to blind cricket’s growing presence in the United States.

Globally, more than 2.2 billion people live with some form of vision impairment, according to the World Health Organization. Yet women—particularly Black women with disabilities—remain significantly underrepresented in elite international sports. Tolliver-Hughes’ participation places her at the intersection of multiple histories being made at once: Black history, disability history, women’s sports history, and Appalachian representation on the world stage.

Why BBG Sports is spotlighting this during Black History Month

At BBG Sports, Black History Month isn’t only about looking backward—it’s about recognizing history as it’s being written. Tatyana Tolliver-Hughes’ journey matters because it expands who gets counted in Black athletic achievement and challenges narrow ideas of who represents Team USA.

For Black youth, disabled athletes, and young people growing up in places like West Virginia, her story is a reminder that Black history doesn’t always arrive with fanfare or tradition. Sometimes it shows up quietly, on unfamiliar fields, in sports that weren’t built with you in mind—until you step onto them anyway.

That’s why BBG Sports is telling this story now.

Because Black history isn’t just something we remember.
It’s something we’re still making.