UAE launches Wolf 777 News Emirates D50 tournament with a vision to shape 50-over cricketers

 By K.R. Nayar

Mubashshir Usmani, Secretary General of Emirates Cricket, has been hoping to stage a D50 tournament ever since the board had launched shorter version events like Twenty20 and T10 tournaments. This 50-over tournament is set to boost UAE coach Robin Singh’s vision to organise more 50 over tournaments and then go on to two-day events.

Mubashshir Usmani

With a vision to shape domestic cricketers for the longer 50 over cricket format, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has recently launched the Wolf 777 News Emirates D50 tournament in Dubai.

Mubashshir Usmani, Secretary General of Emirates Cricket, announced: “The addition of the Wolf 777 News Emirates D50 to our calendar is an important strategic milestone for us, as we develop and deepen our player pool in 50 over cricket.”

The mission to strengthen players through ECB’s own tournaments began a few years ago with tournaments for even shorter version such as T20 and even T10. I was delighted to be a commentator for the D10 tournament and have personally witnessed the enthusiasm of the cricketers and the impact of this tournament.

While announcing the D10 tournament, Mubashshir had said: “We will showcase our domestic talent by giving them a platform through this tournament.”

Mubashir had announced in July 2020 that tournaments in all formats would be held and that the Emirates D50 tournament was not far away. After clearing the way for Wolf 777 News Emirates D50 tournament, he said: ““It’s very important that our players continue to be challenged and given opportunities to grow under match-day pressure, and for our high performance team to identify and assess the next group of representative players as we look towards the ICC’s Associate Countries playing and pathway calendar being finalized and re-introduced.” 

Robin Singh

Robin Singh, the UAE’s Director of Cricket and national team coach, speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com had said: “What I would like to see is that everyone goes out there to win and not just compete. If we are to achieve our goal of becoming a full member, we need to play a lot more 50-over cricket. I’ve been told by many of the players that the number of domestic 50 over matches we played last summer was more than they had played in the previous years. Ultimately, we want to introduce a two-day competition where people can play 90-over cricket or two innings cricket.”

Wolf 777 News Emirates D50 is being played at the Rajasthan Royals Academy located at The Emirates Sevens Stadium in Dubai. The final is scheduled for September 19.

For this event, the ECB has partnered with Wolf77News.com, which provides sports news, as the title sponsor, and another sports-related company called RedBear Sports (Dubai).

The trend of fielding teams representing all the emirates will continue and hence will carry the names Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Emirates Blues. Emirates Blues will comprise a mix of talented senior and up-and-coming cricketers. Sixteen of the 18 games will be live streamed, and, for the first time, the final round, semi-finals and the final will be broadcast live on Dubai Sports.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UAE's veteran cricketer Freddy Sidhwa, at 81, plays at Lord's under Kevin Pietersen's captaincy

Image
By K.R. Nayar UAE's veteran cricketer and octogenarian Freddy Sidhwa is a phenomenon. Writing about this cricketer, who remains young at the age of 81, itself is inspiring. Defying the expectations of age, he continues to amaze me with his exceptional determination to keep playing the game. That makes me wonder whether it is Freddy who has kept cricket young or vice versa. Whatever the case may be, one cannot deny that Freddy has repeatedly proven that age is no barrier to play this game. Freddy Sidhwa with Kevin Pietersen and Dwayne Bravo at Lord's  Recently, Freddy accomplished something that most budding cricketers dream to achieve in their career. Imagine playing under the captaincy of a legendary cricketer, especially at Lord's Cricket Ground. Freddy achieved this at the age of 81! He proved that dreams have no expiry date if one loves the game sincerely. Freddy is also an embodiment of the saying "never let go of your dreams." His philosophy is that drea
Read more

Legendary Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt and UAE-based businessman Sir Sohan Roy acquire Harare Hurricanes team in the Zim Afro T10 set to commence from July 20

Image
By K.R. Nayar Zim Afro T10, following the world’s first professional ten over format league, which was born in the UAE as visualized by Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk in 2017, begins its journey in Harare from July 20. The first edition will conclude with a grand final on July 29. Five teams filled with the cream of limited over cricketers will aim to be the first champions.   Sanjay Dutt  The latest announcement from Zimbabwe Cricket is that Harare Hurricanes, one of the five teams in the contest, has been acquired by the legendary Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt along with UAE based businessman Sir Sohan Roy of Aries group. The other four teams are Durban Qalandars, CapeTown Samp Army, Bulawayo Braves and the Joburg Lions.   Sanjay Dutt, who has dazzled in Bollywood, winning several accolades from his career spanning over four decades, is a keen a keen follower of cricket. He has often been spotted during the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches and had once even expressed his support for
Read more

A feast from Lanka Premier League 2023 for cricket fans in the MENA region, India, and subcontinent

Image
By K.R. Nayar From July 30 to August 21, cricket fans in the MENA region, India, and the subcontinent can look forward to a feast of exhilarating cricket. Star Sports, one of the leading sports networks, has acquired the exclusive television media rights for the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023. The Lanka Premier League will feature sensational players like Babar Azam, Shakib Al Hasan, David Miller, as well as Sri Lanka's stars including Thisara Parera, Wanidu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews, and skipper Dasun Shanaka. Over the past three seasons, it has won the hearts of many, and the fourth season will be held across two venues: R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Mr. Anil Mohan Sankhdhar, Founder and CEO of IPG Group—the official rights holder of LPL—announced the television media rights, stating, "We are delighted to announce Star Sports as the official television broadcaster for the fourth edition of the Lanka Prem
Read more