Why this Asia Cup being held in the UAE is special?

By K.R. Nayar

When the Asia Cup will be hosted in the UAE in the coming days, it will become the second nation to host this tournament for the maximum number of times. Bangladesh tops the list having hosted it five times, and the UAE will join Sri Lanka to have hosted it four times. Earning that honour despite being a non-Test playing nation reconfirms this country is the hub of cricket. The role played by the UAE to ensure the tournament continues needs to be applauded.


As a tournament, the Asia Cup began from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium when in 1984 it hosted the Rothmans Asia Cup. A country that gave birth to this tournament has now come forward to host it again when Sri Lanka, this edition's host, was faced with a political crisis in their country. Asia Cup 2018 was also held in the UAE due to political tensions between India and Pakistan.  Be it a political or a pandemic related situation in any cricket playing nation, the UAE has repeatedly ensured that these big cricket tournaments do not stop. By providing world-class facilities, this country deserves a special honour for ensuring that world cricket continues to take place.

My write up in Gulf News about the historic day when the first Asia Cup was held in 1984

UAE’s contribution to Asian cricket and world cricket can be gauged from the fact that it is the home to both the cricket bodies. Not many may be aware that the first office of the Asian Cricket Council was in Sharjah when Abdulrehman Bukhatir, who brought international cricket to the UAE, opened the doors of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium for this body, and it remained so from 1984 to 1995. Today the Asian Cricket Council office is at the ICC Academy in Dubai Sports City. So, this country not only ensures that cricket does not stop but also ensures that everything related to its planning also happens from here. And clearly, this cannot happen unless the game is loved and supported by most people living in this country.

All captains of the 2018 Asia Cup held in the UAE 

The UAE can also proudly proclaim that the Asia Cup is being held in a country that has hosted the maximum One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals. Outside of the Test playing nations, the UAE stands out for having hosted the maximum number of international matches. In fact, stadiums here have hosted more matches than those in Test playing nations that are backed with years of cricketing history.

Be it the ICC World Cup, Asia Cup, Test matches, T20 Internationals, Under-19 World Cup, Asia Under-19 Cup, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers and many more, all of them have been held here including the franchise league cricket of many countries.

In short, UAE's contribution or its role in world cricket is enormous. I repeat this because once these tournaments are held successfully here, people forget about its contribution. Hence it needs to be highlighted often given that public memory is short-lived in today’s busy life.

Comments

  1. sportsworldAugust 18, 2022 at 9:56 AM

    Good one

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mohamed LokhandwalaAugust 18, 2022 at 10:38 AM

    Brings back beautiful memories of cricket at Sharjah Stadium. As you write about the Rothmans Cup in 1984, the first cricket tournament in UAE, I was lucky to watch this match, brings back memories of time gone by.

    ReplyDelete

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