UAE has reason to feel proud when India takes on Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground

 By K.R. Nayar

 Indian and Australian cricketers who were part of IPL2020 have flown out from the UAE- a country that have staged the most number of One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals in the world today -  to the Sydney cricket ground that also has many landmarks to its credit.  As much as we recall the feats of cricketers, landmarks achieved by cricket grounds also deserve to be highlighted 

Sydney Cricket ground 
UAE should feel proud when India take on Australia in the first One Day International match of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 27, 2020. One may wonder why that should be the case? 
The UAE can also be proud of the fact that these cricketers have moved from one historic cricket centre, which has played an important role in two formats of the game, to another country that is steeped in cricket history and has played a historic role in all formats of the game.  
Through numerous exciting matches, top Indian as well as Australian players along with many other cricketers were entertaining everyone for nearly two months through the Indian Premier League that was held in the UAE. Though this country is not a Test-playing nation, its contribution to cricket is remarkable. 

Dubai International Cricket Stadium 

UAE holds the record for having hosted the maximum number of ODIs and T20s in the world today. A look at the figures indicates that the UAE has hosted 163 T20 Internationals, and is ahead of India which has staged 92 T20 Internationals. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium heads the list with 62 matches followed by Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium with 45 matches. 

Sharjah Cricket Stadium 
In One Day Internationals, Sharjah proudly stands ahead, having hosted 240 ODIs in contrast to the Sydney Cricket Ground's 157 ODIs. The Zayed Cricket Stadium and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium have hosted 45 and 34 ODI matches respectively. So these players have flown to Australia having played on grounds in a country that has hosted 319 ODIs!

Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium 
Sydney is that ground from where today’s one-day cricket with all its special features had started way back on November 28, 1978. The Kerry Packers’ World Cricket Series Competition’s first day-night match was held using the white ball, dark sight screens, and coloured clothing. Though it was not termed as an official One Day International. the match between Ian Chappell’s Australians and Clive Lloyd’s West Indies was watched by 44,377 spectators.
Sydney cricket ground’s first official ODI  match was held on January 13, 1979, between Australia and England. That match lasted for 7.2 overs only with rain playing spoilsport.  Though Sharjah’s first ODI was held as late as April 6, 1984, this venue went ahead and hosted the most number of ODIs in the history of world cricket to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.
Very often, we forget the historical importance of the grounds on which matches are played.  It was a special moment in One-day cricket when India played Australia at Sydney on December 18, 1980. This was the 100th ODI match, and India, who were not a strong team then, got beaten by nine wickets with Allan Border cracking an unbeaten 105. For India, GR Viswanath had top scored with 43 runs.
What impressed me the most during my last visit to the Sydney ground was that this venue has recorded most of the historic moments in cricket on the walls of the stadium. On the way to pavilion, I saw a plaque commemorating the 100th Test match held at this ground between India and Australia on January 3, 2012. Another plaque was about the 150th anniversary of the inaugural first-class match held on February 15, 1854, between the Garrison Club and Royal Victoria Club.
It is important that every ground in the world respect and records their historic moments prominently at their stadium. Cricket fans take great joy in recalling historic moments and contests. The glory of every ground is not just the number of exciting matches it has hosted but also the records that are set in the process.

 

Comments

  1. SNovember 16, 2020 at 8:03 AM

    Indeed ! The Wall of every Stadium must put up these stories , not only in privy places inside the stadia halls and players areas .

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

European Cricket Association launched in Paris to boost the game in the region

Image
By K.R. Nayar A cricket organisation to boost the game in Europe was launched in Paris today. Six cricketing nations joined hands and formed the European Cricket Association. The inaugural meeting of the association held at Pullman Effiel was attended by representatives of six cricket playing nations  - France, Italy, Jersey, Malta, Austria and Romania. France was the host of the meeting which was held under the chairmanship of Gurumurthy Palani, the Board Advisor to the France Cricket Association, till the president of the body is chosen. European Cricket Association officials at their launch meeting  Gabriel Marin of Romania was elected as the first President of the European Cricket Association, while Fabio Marabini of Italy will be the First Vice President. Three vice presidents were elected, which included Indika Perera (Malta), Sarah Gomersall (Jersey) and Gurumurthy Palani (France). Bilal Zal Mai of Austria will be the Executive Committee Member. Speaking about the...
Read more

UAE’s richest domestic cricket tournament launched through a 100-ball format in Sharjah

Image
By K.R. Nayar Petromann Sports Management is known to stage cricket events with a unique twist. The mastermind behind these innovations is Abdul Latif Khan, Founder of Petromann Sports Management. He brought tennis ball cricket to the international level through the 10PL, offering the richest prize money in this format. Now, he is set to launch Elite Corporate Cricket Bash (ECCB), a unique 100-ball format, which is likely to become one of the UAE's richest domestic tournaments, with a prize of Dh 1.3 million, at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Mazhar Khan and Dav Whatmore release the event jersey as Abdul Latif Khan and Nasir Akram look on  This ten-day tournament will feature 12 corporate teams. Petromann Sports Management, in collaboration with the Sharjah Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board, has created this platform to discover emerging UAE talent. The tournament, expected to revolutionize the UAE's domestic cricket scene, will reach an audience of 300 mill...
Read more

Remembering the first girl to play cricket in the UAE as the country hosts its first Women’s World Cup

Image
By K.R. Nayar The UAE is set to host the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 starting on October 3. There was a time when girls in this country hardly considered playing cricket. Instead, they preferred sports like badminton, tennis, and basketball, and rarely, if ever, held a cricket bat. It was during this period that a 10-year-old girl, Natasha Michael Cherriath, walked onto a cricket field with a bat in hand.   Natasha Michael showed the way for other women cricketers in the UAE Natasha had no other girls to play with, and the boys curiously observed her as she joined a game typically played only by them.   Every movement requires a pioneer, and Natasha was the one who started it all for girls' cricket here. While she learned the basics of the game from her father, Michael, he took her to renowned coach Shehzad Altaf, who had represented the UAE in the 1996 World Cup. Although Altaf initially told her that cricket was a sport for boys, Natasha was determined to learn. It didn’t ...
Read more